The anti‐inflammatory effects of wheat germ oil on lipopolysaccharide‐activated human monocytic (THP‐1) cells

Abstract

Heart disease is the leading cause of death worldwide, and the underlying pathological feature is atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis is an inflammatory disease involving various immune cells with macrophages as key agents in the disease progression. Macrophages play a vital role by secreting pro‐inflammatory cytokines including tumor necrosis factor (TNF)‐α and interleukin (IL)‐6. Dietary bioactive components are being studied for their beneficial properties. Wheat germ oil (WGO) is rich in omega‐3 fatty acids, vitamin E and policosanols which have been reported to have pharmacological effects, including anti‐inflammatory property. The present study investigated the anti‐inflammatory effects of different WGOs on cytokine production in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)‐activated THP‐1 cells. THP‐1 cells were treated with different concentrations (0‐1.5 x 10‐3%) of four WGOs prepared using different extraction methods (WGO1, WGO2, WGO3 and WGO4) and one commercial WGO (WGOC) with or without LPS (100 ng/mL) for 24 h. None of the WGOs tested induced cell death or had a negative effect on cell proliferation. All WGOs significantly decreased TNF‐α and IL‐6 production (P<0.0001), with WGOC being the most effective. In contrast, unrefined hexane extracted WGO4 induced the highest production of the anti‐inflammatory cytokine, IL‐10.These findings suggest that WGOs can simultaneously down regulate pro‐inflammatory and up‐regulate anti‐inflammatory responses and that the extraction method influences the magnitude of these effects.