Anti-inflammatory effect of water extracts obtained from doenjang in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells

Abstract The effect of water extracts of doenjang (WED) on cyclooxygenase pathway and cytokine production in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated RAW 264.7 macrophage cells was investigated. WED was fractionated by ultrafiltration into five individual groups of molecular weights. All of the WED fractions significantly inhibited the production of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages. Furthermore, each of the WED fractions significantly decreased production of pro-inflammatory cytokine such as tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) (p<0.05). The fraction between 10 to 30 kDa of WED showed the highest inhibition of pro-inflammatory cytokine production, LPS-induced COX-2 expression and PEG2 production. These results suggest that WED fractions may have the anti-inflammatory effect via the stimulus of COX-2 and TNF-α in LPS-stimulated inflammation in RAW 264.7 cells.