An ethyl-acetate fraction ofHolothuria scabramodulates inflammation in vitro through inhibiting the production of nitric oxide and pro-inflammatory cytokines via NF-κB and JNK pathways

Sea cucumber,Holothuria scabra,is an echinoderm marine animal that has long been used as a traditional therapeutic in various diseases due to its chemical composition and protein enrichment. Many researchers have extensively studied the efficacy of sea cucumber extracts for many health benefits in recent years. Inflammation is a complex process involved in pro-/anti-inflammatory cytokine products. However, the role of theH. scabraextracts in anti-inflammation and its molecular regulations has not been apparently elucidated yet. In this study, we investigated the anti-inflammatory effect ofH. scabraextracts by using lipopolysaccharide (LPS) fromE. colito induce an inflammatory response in RAW264.7 macrophage. It was found that ethyl acetate fraction ofH. scabraextracts (EAHS) inhibited pro-inflammatory cytokines synthesis at both the transcriptional and translational levels, notably nitric oxide (NO), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), and prostaglandin E-2(PGE(2)). In addition, EAHS was able to downregulate I kappa B/NF-kappa B, and JNK expressions. These effects may be influenced by high contents of phenolic compound and triterpene glycosides in EAHS. Therefore, EAHS might have the potential to be developed as a natural anti-inflammatory agent.