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Inhibition of interleukin-12 production in mouse macrophagesvia decreased nuclear factor-κB DNA binding activity by myricetin, a naturally occurring flavonoid

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Abstract

Pharmacological inhibition of interleukin-12 (IL-12) production may be a therapeutic strategy for preventing the development and progression of disease in experimental models of autoimmunity. In this study, the effects of myricetin, a naturally occurring flavonoid present in fruits, vegetables and medicinal herbs, on the production of IL-12 were investigated in mouse macrophages stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Myricetin significantly inhibited the LPS-induced IL-12 production from both primary macrophages and the RAW264.7 monocytic cell-line in a dose-dependent manner. The effect of myricetin on IL-12 gene promoter activation was analyzed by transfecting RAW264.7 cells with IL-12 gene promoter/luciferase constructs. The repressive effect was mapped to a region in the IL-12 gene promoter containing a binding site for NF-κB. Furthermore, activation of macrophages by LPS resulted in markedly enhanced binding activity to the NF-κB site, which significantly decreased upon addition of myricetin, indicating that myricetin inhibited IL-12 production in LPS-activated macrophagesvia the down-regulation of NF-κB binding activity.

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Correspondence to Tae Sung Kim.

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Kang, B.Y., Kim, S.H., Cho, D. et al. Inhibition of interleukin-12 production in mouse macrophagesvia decreased nuclear factor-κB DNA binding activity by myricetin, a naturally occurring flavonoid. Arch Pharm Res 28, 274–279 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02977791

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02977791

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