Abstract

Influenza is an infectious disease which accompanies systematic inflammation. Although eliminating the primary or secondary infectious agent is an important action in treating influenza, it is still difficult because not only mutations of viruses but also antibiotics-resistance of bacteria. Eunkyosan, is traditionally used herbal formula to symptoms of influenza, have were reported for its pharmacological properties on inflammation. Also, Alginate, a physiologically active acidic polysaccharide obtained from brown algae, alleviates inflammation, exhibits anti-bacterial properties, and shows a collaborative therapeutic effect with an anti-bacterial agent for acute infections. Thus, we investigated anti-inflammatory effects of Lorafocin (a mixture of Eunkyosan and alginate) against lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammation in RAW 264.7 macrophage cell line and its underlying mechanisms as well as anti-bacterial effects. In the RAW 264.7 macrophage cell line, Lorafocin treatment reduced the secretion of inflammatory mediators such as nitric oxide (NO) and pro-inflammatory cytokines induced by LPS. To elucidate the anti-inflammatory mechanism of Lorafocin, we investigated the involvement of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and protein kinase B (Akt) signaling pathway. Studies demonstrated that Lorafocin exhibited anti-inflammatory efficacy by regulating Akt, c-Jun N-terminal kinase/stress-activated protein kinase (JNK), and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) 1/2 in LPS-induced RAW264.7 macrophages. Furthermore, Lorafocin inhibited the bacterial growth of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. Taken together, Lorafocin may possess the capability to effectively modulate inflammatory responses and inhibit the growth of pathogenic bacteria.