Anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity of the traditional herbal formula Gwakhyangjeonggi-san via enhancement of heme oxygenase-1 expression in RAW264.7 macrophages

Gwakhyangjeonggi-san (GHJGS) is a mixture of herbal plants, including Agastache rugosa, Perilla frutescens, Angelica dahurica, Areca catechu, Poria cocos, Magnolia officinalis, Atractylodes macrocephala, Citrus reticulata, Pinellia ternata, Platycodon grandiflorum, Glycyrrhiza uralensis, Ziziphus jujuba and Zingiber officinale. GHJGS has been used for treating diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome in traditional Korean medicine. In the present study, the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects of GHJGS were investigated using the RAW 264.7 murine macrophage cell line. GHJGS significantly reduced production of the proinflammatory cytokines, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin-6 and prostaglandin E-2 in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated macrophages. GHJGS markedly suppressed LPS-induced phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinases, whereas it had no effect on nuclear factor-kappa B activation. Furthermore, GHJGS enhanced expression of heme oxygenase-1 and prevented the generation of reactive oxygen species in RAW 264.7 cells. These results indicate that GHJGS is a viable therapeutic agent against inflammation and oxidative stress-associated disorders.