Anti-inflammatory Effects of Wheat Germ Oil on Lipopolysaccharide-activated Human Monocytic Thp-1 Cells

Abstract

Heart disease is the leading cause of death, and the underlying pathological feature is atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis is an inflammatory disease involving immune cells with macrophages as key agents in the disease progression by secreting cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-?, interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-10. Dietary bioactive components are being investigated for their health benefits including anti-inflammatory properties. Wheat germ oil (WGO) is rich in omega-3 fatty acid, vitamin E and sterols which have been reported to have anti-inflammatory properties. The present study investigated the anti-inflammatory effects of four WGOs (WGO 1, WGO 2, WGO 3 and WGO 4) prepared using different extraction methods on cytokine production in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated human monocytic THP-1 cells. THP-1 cells were treated with low or high dose (0.25 and 1.5 x 10-3 %) of each WGOs in combination with LPS (1 �g/mL) for 6 h. None of the WGOs tested induced cell death or had negative effects on cell proliferation. At high dose, all WGOs significantly reduced IL-6 (P = 0.0351) but only WGO 1 - 3 significantly decreased TNF-? production. Additionally, both doses of WGO 3 and WGO 4 increased IL-10 production, an anti-inflammatory cytokine. High doses of WGOs also significantly down-regulated TNF-? and IL-6 gene expression. Moreover, WGO 3 and 4 at high dose increased IL-10 gene expression. These findings suggest that WGOs affect both pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines involved in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and that the method of extraction influences its anti-inflammatory properties.