Abstract
Horseradish (Armoracia rusticana) is a perennial crop and its root is used in condiments. Traditionally, horseradish root is used to treat bacterial infections of the respiratory tract and urinary bladder. The antiphlogistic activity, determined in activated primary human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), was evaluated for an aqueous extract and its subfractions, separated by HPLC. Compound analysis was done by UHPLC-QToF/MS and GC-MS. The aqueous extract concentration-dependently inhibited the anti-inflammatory response to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in terms of TNF-α release at ≥37 μg/mL. Further, the cyclooxygenase as well as lipoxygenase pathway was blocked by the extract as demonstrated by inhibition of COX-2 protein expression and PGE2 synthesis at ≥4 μg/mL and leukotriene LTB4 release. Mechanistic studies revealed that inhibition of ERK1/2 and c-Jun activation preceded COX-2 suppression upon plant extract treatment in the presence of LPS. Chemical analysis identified target compounds with a medium polarity as relevant for the observed bioactivity. Importantly, allyl isothiocyanate, which is quite well known for its anti-inflammatory capacity and as the principal pungent constituent in horseradish roots, was not relevant for the observations. The results suggest that horseradish root exerts an antiphlogistic activity in human immune cells by regulation of the COX and LOX pathway via MAPK signalling.
Highlights
Horseradish (Armoracia rusticana) belongs to the plant order Brassicales, family Brassicaceae
The results suggest that horseradish root exerts an antiphlogistic activity in human immune cells by regulation of the COX and LOX pathway via MAPK signalling
In an attempt to elucidate the anti-inflammatory potential of the plant, we studied its effect on the cyclooxygenase isoforms COX-1 and COX-2
Summary
Horseradish (Armoracia rusticana) belongs to the plant order Brassicales, family Brassicaceae. It is a perennial crop which is cultivated mainly in Europe and Asia. Horseradish root is known for its anti-inflammatory and antibacterial characteristics and is used for the treatment of acute sinusitis, bronchitis, and urinary bladder infection [2,3,4,5]. The characteristic hot flavour is mainly the result of the enzymemediated breakdown product called allyl isothiocyanate Strong anti-inflammatory activity was reported before [7]. The roots contain the antioxidant ascorbic acid [8] as well as the flavonoids kaempferol and quercetin [9] which are known for their anti-inflammatory capacity
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