Anti-Inflammatory Properties of Extract of the Hairy Root of Native Portulaca Oleracea L. and Its Effect on Some Inflammatory Genes Expression in Rat Microglial Cells

Background: Most herbs play significant roles in the treatment of various diseases. Because dopamine functions in theanti-inflammatory process and the presence of this substance in Portulaca Oleracea L. native plant, investigating thisplant’s anti-inflammatory properties in treating neurological diseases is interesting.Objectives: The objective of this study was to estimate the NO production and the expression level of inflammatory genesin lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated microglial cells affected by P. oleracea L. extraction.Materials and Methods: P. oleracea L. hairy root extract was isolated, and the primary microglial cell of the rat wasisolated from glial cells and confirmed by immunocytochemistry analysis. Microglial cells were pretreated with differentconcentrations of P. oleracea L. extract and then treated with 1 μg.mL-1 LPS. The control group did not receive anytreatment. The NO level in culture supernatants was measured by the Griess method. The mRNA expression levels ofiNOS (inducible Nitric oxide synthase) and TNF-α (tumor necrosis factor-alpha) in LPS-treated microglial cells wereevaluated using Real-Time PCR.Results: The present study determined that 0.1 mg. mL-1 of the P. oleracea L. extract decreased the NO production in ratmicroglial cells. Different concentrations of the P. oleracea L. extract had no prominent effects on LPS-treated cell viability. The results of real-time PCR indicated that P. oleracea L extracts suppressed the mRNA expression levels of iNOS and TNF-α in LPS-treated cells. MTT assay determined that P. oleracea L. extract was not cytotoxic, and the anti-inflammatory P. oleracea L. extract effects observed were not because of cell death.Conclusion: P. oleracea L. extract might be helpful as an anti-inflammatory agent in treating inflammatory diseases.