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Determination of anti-inflammatory activities of standardised preparations of plant- and mushroom-based foods

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Abstract

Purpose

Chronic inflammatory processes contribute to the pathogenesis of many age-related diseases. In search of anti-inflammatory foods, we have systematically screened a variety of common dietary plants and mushrooms for their anti-inflammatory activity.

Methods

A selection of 115 samples was prepared by a generic food-compatible processing method involving heating. These products were tested for their anti-inflammatory activity in murine N11 microglia and RAW 264.7 macrophages, using nitric oxide (NO) and tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) as pro-inflammatory readouts.

Results

Ten food samples including lime zest, English breakfast tea, honey-brown mushroom, button mushroom, oyster mushroom, cinnamon and cloves inhibited NO production in N11 microglia, with IC50 values below 0.5 mg/ml. The most active samples were onion, oregano and red sweet potato, exhibiting IC50 values below 0.1 mg/ml. When these ten food preparations were retested in RAW 264.7 macrophages, they all inhibited NO production similar to the results obtained in N11 microglia. In addition, English breakfast tea leaves, oyster mushroom, onion, cinnamon and button mushroom preparations suppressed TNF-α production, exhibiting IC50 values below 0.5 mg/ml in RAW 264.7 macrophages.

Conclusion

In summary, anti-inflammatory activity in these food samples survived ‘cooking’. Provided that individual bioavailability allows active compounds to reach therapeutic levels in target tissues, these foods may be useful in limiting inflammation in a variety of age-related inflammatory diseases. Furthermore, these foods could be a source for the discovery of novel anti-inflammatory drugs.

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Acknowledgments

The project was supported by a CSIRO Flagship Collaboration project grant and a PhD scholarship (Kirubakaran Shanmugam) through the CSIRO Preventative Health Flagship programme. DG and KS designed the experiments, performed research and contributed to writing the paper; LB, GM and RH designed the project and the overall experimental design; LO and SG advised in relation to the paper content and the experimental approach and contributed to writing the paper. We also thank N. Sucher for his inspiration and continuous help.

Conflict of interest

Louse Bennett and Richard Head are employed by CSIRO, the organisation that sponsored the research.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, University of Wollongong, NSW, Australia

    Lezanne Ooi

  2. Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, University of Western Sydney, Locked Bag 1797, Campbelltown, Penrith, NSW, 2751, Australia

    Dhanushka Gunawardena, Kirubakaran Shanmugam & Gerald Münch

  3. Pre-clinical and Clinical Health Substantiation, CSIRO Animal, Food and Health Sciences, Werribee, VIC, Australia

    Louise Bennett & Richard Head

  4. Molecular Medicine Research Group, University of Western Sydney, Campbelltown, NSW, Australia

    Gerald Münch

  5. Network Nutrition Pty Limited, North Ryde, NSW, Australia

    Suresh Govindaraghavan

  6. Centre for Complementary Medicine Research, University of Western Sydney, Campbelltown, NSW, Australia

    Mitchell Low & Gerald Münch

Authors
  1. Dhanushka Gunawardena
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  2. Kirubakaran Shanmugam
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  3. Mitchell Low
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  4. Louise Bennett
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  6. Richard Head
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  7. Lezanne Ooi
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  8. Gerald Münch
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Gerald Münch.

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Gunawardena, D., Shanmugam, K., Low, M. et al. Determination of anti-inflammatory activities of standardised preparations of plant- and mushroom-based foods. Eur J Nutr 53, 335–343 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-013-0531-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-013-0531-9

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