Cited by 109Seaweed-derived Bioactive CompoundsNatural Compounds in Disease TreatmentFatty Acid Research and Health

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 58 of the 58 references it cites were found in a registry or an index; none of the 43 sources its claims cite is checked for support yet.

Edible blue-green algae reduce the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines by inhibiting NF-κB pathway in macrophages and splenocytes

Open access
Ku, Chai Siah, Pham, Tho X., Park, Youngki, Kim, Bohkyung, Shin, Min Sun, Kang, Insoo, Lee, Jiyoung·2013·Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - General Subjects

Abstract

Background Chronic inflammation contributes to the development of pathological disorders including insulin resistance and atherosclerosis. Identification of anti-inflammatory natural products can prevent the inflammatory diseases. Methods Anti-inflammatory effects of blue-green algae (BGA), i.e., Nostoc commune var. Sphaeroides Kützing (NO) and Spirulina Platensis (SP), were compared in RAW 264.7 and mouse bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMM) as well as splenocytes from apolipoprotein E knockout (apoE−/−) mice fed BGA. Results When macrophages pretreated with 100 μg/ml NO lipid extract (NOE) or SP lipid extract (SPE) were activated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS), expression and secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα), interleukin 1β (IL-1β), and IL-6, were significantly repressed. NOE and SPE also significantly repressed the expression of TNFα and IL-1β in BMM. LPS-induced secretion of IL-6 was lower in splenocytes from apoE−/− fed an atherogenic diet containing 5% NO or SP for 12 weeks. In RAW 264.7 macrophages, NOE and SPE markedly decreased nuclear translocation of NF-κB. The degree of repression of pro-inflammatory gene expression by algal extracts was much stronger than that of SN50, an inhibitor of NF-κB nuclear translocation. Trichostatin A, a pan histone deacetylase inhibitor, increased basal expression of IL-1β and attenuated the repression of the gene expression by SPE. SPE significantly down-regulated mRNA abundance of 11 HDAC isoforms, consequently increasing acetylated histone 3 levels. Conclusion NOE and SPE repress pro-inflammatory cytokine expression and secretion in macrophages and splenocytes via inhibition of NF-κB pathway. Histone acetylation state is likely involved in the inhibition. General significance This study underscores natural products can exert anti-inflammatory effects by epigenetic modifications such as histone acetylation.

Overview

AI snapshot

Written from the paper’s full text.

TL;DR

Lipid extracts of edible blue-green algae *Nostoc commune* (NOE) and *Spirulina platensis* (SPE) reduce pro-inflammatory cytokine expression and secretion in macrophages and splenocytes, at least partly by inhibiting NF-κB nuclear translocation. The data also implicate histone deacetylase downregulation and increased histone H3 acetylation in the anti-inflammatory effect.

Key findings

  • In RAW 264.7 macrophages, 100 μg/ml NOE or SPE significantly repressed LPS-induced TNFα, IL-1β, and IL-6 mRNA expression and decreased secretion of TNFα, IL-6, G-CSF, GM-CSF, and MCP-1; significant reductions occurred dose-dependently as low as 25 μg/ml.
  • NOE and SPE also significantly lowered TNFα and IL-1β expression in mouse bone marrow-derived macrophages, and splenocytes from apoE−/− mice fed an atherogenic diet containing 5% NO or SP for 12 weeks secreted significantly less IL-6 after LPS challenge.
  • Both extracts decreased LPS-induced nuclear translocation of NF-κB p65 in RAW 264.7 macrophages, but the repression of TNFα and IL-1β expression was stronger with NOE/SPE than with SN50, an NF-κB nuclear translocation inhibitor.
  • SPE significantly downregulated mRNA abundance of 11 HDAC isoforms and increased acetylated histone 3 by ~2-fold; TSA, a pan HDAC inhibitor, increased basal IL-1β and attenuated SPE-mediated repression.

Methods

  • RAW 264.7 macrophages and mouse bone marrow-derived macrophages were pretreated with 0–100 μg/ml NOE or SPE for 12 h, then activated with LPS (100 ng/ml) for 18 h; splenocytes were isolated from male apoE−/− mice fed a high-fat/high-cholesterol diet with 5% NO or SP for 12 weeks and stimulated with LPS (500 ng/ml) for 20 h.
  • Pro-inflammatory cytokine mRNA was measured by qRT-PCR, secreted cytokines by cytokine array or ELISA, NF-κB p65 nuclear/cytoplasmic localization by Western blot, and acetylated histone H3 by Western blot.
  • Statistical analysis used one-way ANOVA with Newman-Keuls pairwise comparisons; p < 0.05 was considered significant, and values were expressed as mean ± SEM.

Limitations

  • The paper states that future study is warranted to identify specific HDAC isoforms involved in inflammatory gene regulation and to determine how their activity is regulated, including cellular localization, posttranslational modification, and association with regulatory proteins.
  • The paper states it cannot rule out possible alterations in histone acetyltransferase (HAT) activity by SPE, and notes that LPS and SPE may differentially regulate HDAC expression posttranscriptionally.
  • Evident from the text: the main mechanistic findings are in cell culture and ex vivo splenocytes, with in vivo anti-inflammatory support limited to lower IL-6 secretion from splenocytes of BGA-fed mice; no human clinical outcomes are reported.

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Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1016/j.bbagen.2013.01.018

Cites

58 of 58 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Nothing to recompute.

Verification

Claims the paper makes

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Show all 19 claims

  • It may state two separate claims as one. 18
  • Probably not a substantial claim. 9
23 of 23
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Dysregulated production of pro-inflammatory mediators by macrophages is a major contributor to inflammation-related diseases such as insulin resistance and atherosclerosis.

    “Dysregulation of pro-inflammatory mediator production from macrophages is a major contributor to the development of pathological conditions related to inflammation such as insulin resistance and atherosclerosis.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Findings in RAW 264.7 macrophages, mouse BMM, and mouse splenocytes are predictive of anti-inflammatory effects in humans.

    “Therefore, the two BGA species tested in the present study may be used as a natural product to prevent inflammatory diseases.”
2 of 2

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Self-check

Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

Each contradiction between two passages listed here was confirmed by an independent check.

  • Spirulina safety-rating claim cites an unrelated study

    Minor

    The sentence attributes a Spirulina safety rating to reference 38, but reference 38 is a study of glutathione-peroxidase-deficient mice and does not describe that rating.

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Metadata

Authors
Ku, C. S., Pham, T. X., Park, Y., Kim, B., Shin, M. S., Kang, I., & Lee, J.
Affiliations
  • University of Connecticut (US)
  • Yale University (US)
Venue
Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - General Subjects
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2013-04
Volume
1830
Issue
4
Pages
2981-2988
ISSN
0304-4165 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2066758152
Cited by
109
References
58
Citations by year
2026: 4 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 10 · 2020: 17 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 6 · 2017: 9 · 2016: 10 · 2015: 8 · 2014: 8 · 2013: 3
FWCI
14.77
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - General Subjects (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (R21AT005152)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Aquatic Science › Seaweed-derived Bioactive Compounds
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Complementary and alternative medicine › Natural Compounds in Disease Treatment
  • Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Fatty Acid Research and Health
Keywords
cyanobacteria, Spirulina platensis, anti-inflammatory activity, inflammatory cytokines, NF-κB signaling, macrophages, splenocytes, histone acetylation, histone deacetylase, lipid extracts, chronic inflammation, atherosclerosis, ApoE-deficient mice, epigenetic regulation
MeSH terms
Cyanobacteria, Animals, Cells, Cultured, Histone Deacetylases, Histones, Macrophages, Mice, Inbred C57BL, Spleen, Cytokines, NF-kappa B, Active Transport, Cell Nucleus, Mice

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