Abstract
Cumin seeds (Cuminum cyminum L.) have been commonly used in food flavoring and perfumery. In this study, cumin essential oil (CuEO) extracted from seeds was employed to investigate the anti-inflammatory effects in lipopolysaccharide- (LPS-) stimulated RAW 264.7 cells and the underlying mechanisms. A total of 26 volatile constituents were identified in CuEO by GC-MS, and the most abundant constituent was cuminaldehyde (48.773%). Mitochondrial-respiration-dependent 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium (MTT) reduction assay demonstrated that CuEO did not exhibit any cytotoxic effect at the employed concentrations (0.0005–0.01%). Real-time PCR tests showed that CuEO significantly inhibited the mRNA expressions of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase (COX-2), interleukin- (IL-) 1, and IL-6. Moreover, western blotting analysis revealed that CuEO blocked LPS-induced transcriptional activation of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) and inhibited the phosphorylation of extracellular signal regulated kinase (ERK) and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK). These results suggested that CuEO exerted anti-inflammatory effects in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells via inhibition of NF-κB and mitogen-activated protein kinases ERK and JNK signaling; the chemical could be used as a source of anti-inflammatory agents as well as dietary complement for health promotion.
Highlights
Inflammation is a normal protective response induced by tissue injury or infection to combat invaders in the body and to remove dead or damaged host cells
There was no significant decrease in cell viability for concentrations up to 0.01% after treatment with cumin essential oil (CuEO) for 24 and 48 h (Figure 2)
The results indicated that CuEO did not exhibit any cytotoxic effect at the employed concentrations (0.0005–0.01%)
Summary
Inflammation is a normal protective response induced by tissue injury or infection to combat invaders in the body (microorganisms and non-self cells) and to remove dead or damaged host cells. Development of potential therapeutic approaches that help to reduce the expression of these proinflammatory genes would be useful in the treatment of many chronic diseases with an underlying inflammatory origin. Some essential oils have anti-inflammatory effects [4, 5]. Kim et al [6] reported the anti-inflammatory effect of fingered citron Cumin (C. cyminum L.) is a spice plant belonging to the family Umbelliferae; its seed has been commonly used in food flavoring and perfumery. Cumin seeds contain nearly 3-4% of essential oil [8]. The cumin essential oil (CuEO) has attracted great attention during the last few years due to the large variety of biological activities that it exhibits, such as antiallergic, antioxidant, antimicrobial, antiplatelet aggregation, and hypoglycemic activities [9,10,11,12]. There is no report available on anti-inflammatory activity of CuEO
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