Anti-neuroinflammatory responses in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated BV2 microglial cells upon treatment with methanol extract of Panax ginseng root

OBJECTIVE:To investigate the anti-neuroinflammatory properties of Panax ginseng(P.ginseng)root by measuring the levels of nitric oxide(NO),tumour necrosis factor-alpha(TNF-α),interleukin-6(IL-6),and interleukin-10(IL-10)in lipopolysaccharide(LPS)-stimulated BV2 microglia cells.METHODS:Maximal non-toxic dose(MNTD)of methanol extract of P.ginseng root culture on BV2 microglia cells was first determined via 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay,followed by treatment and LPS stimulation of cells,and the measurement of NO using Griess assay and TNF-α,IL-6,and IL-10 using ELISA assay.RESULTS:The MNTD of P.ginseng root extract was determined to be(587±57)µg/mL.Following that,NO and IL-6 levels were found to be insignificantly reduced by 6.88%and 0.14%respectively in stimulated cells upon treatment with MNTD.Treatment with½MNTD yielded similar insignificant result,with only a reduction of 3.58%and 0.08%in NO and IL-6 levels respectively.However,TNF-αand IL-10 levels were significantly downregulated by 15.64%and 34.96%respectively upon treatment with P.ginseng root extract at MNTD.CONCLUSION:Methanol extract of P.ginseng root culture did not show any significant anti-inflammatory effects on NO and IL-6 levels,but might potentially possess both anti-neuroinflammatory and pro-neuroinflammatory properties through the downregulation of TNF-αand IL-10 respectively.