Anti-inflammatory Effect of the 5,7,4′-Trihydroxy-6-geranylflavanone isolated from the fruit of artocarpus communis in S100b-induced human monocytes

The fruit of Artocarpus communis Moraceae, a traditional starch crop, is a rich source of phytochemicals, such as flavonoids and their derivatives. The aim of this study was to investigate whether 5,7,4′-trihydroxy-6- geranylflavanone (AC-GF), a geranyl flavonoid derivative isolated from the fruits of A. communis, could decrease the activation of inflammatory mediators induced by S100B (ligand of receptor for advanced glycation end products, RAGE) in THP-1 monocytes. According to the results, low levels of AC-GF (≤2.5 μM) showed a great inhibitory effect on gene expression of RAGE and down-regulated both TNF-α and IL-1β secretion and gene expression (p < 0.05). AC-GF also decreased reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in response to S100B (p < 0.05). Additionally, Western blotting revealed that AC-GF could effectively attenuate RAGE-dependent signaling, including expression of protein kinase C (PKC) and p47phox, phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), and particularly NF-κB activation (p < 0.05). In conclusion, this is the first report that AC-GF possesses great antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties in vitro. This finding may contribute to increased implication and utilization of the fruit of A. communis Moraceae in functional foods.