Anti-inflammatory activity of Camellia japonica oil

Abstract

Camellia japonica oil (CJ oil) has been used traditionally in EastAsia to nourish and soothe the skin as well as help restore theelasticity of skin. CJ oil has also been used on all types ofbleeding instances. However, little is known about itsanti-inflammatory effects. Therefore, the anti-inflammatoryeffects of CJ oil and its mechanisms of action were investigated.CJ oil inhibited LPS-induced production of NO, PGE2, andTNF-α in RAW264.7 cells. In addition, expression of COX-2and iNOS genes was reduced. To evaluate the mechanism ofthe anti-inflammatory activity of CJ oil, LPS-induced activationof AP-1 and NF-κB promoters was found to be significantlyreduced by CJ oil. LPS-induced phosphorylation of IκBα, ERK,p38, and JNK was also attenuated. Our results indicate that CJoil exerts anti-inflammatory effects by downregulating theexpression of iNOS and COX-2 genes through inhibition ofNF-κB and AP-1 signaling. [BMB reports 2012; 45(3): 177-182]

Keywords

• AP-1
• Camellia japonica oil
• COX-2
• iNOS
• NF-κB