Protective effects of aminoethyl-chitooligosaccharides against oxidative stress and inflammation in murine microglial BV-2 cells

The aim of this study was to investigate the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of aminoethyl-chitooligosaccharides (AE-COS) in murine microglial cells (BV-2). At the high concentration of 100 μg/ml, the inhibition of reactive oxygen species, DNA, protein and lipid oxidation were determined in BV-2 cells, at the rates of 77%, 80%, 85% and 85%, respectively. Furthermore, AE-COS was studied for its capabilities against lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammatory responses in BV-2 cells. It was found that AE-COS reduced the level of nitric oxide (NO) and prostaglandin E2 production by diminishing the expression of inducible NO synthase and cyclooxygenase-2 without significant cytotoxicity. Moreover, the inhibitory activities of AE-COS on generation of tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin-1beta were performed. Collectively, these results indicate that AE-COS possess potential antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities in brain microglia, and could be a useful therapeutic agent for the treatment of neuroinflammatory diseases.