Inhibition of inducible isoforms of cyclooxygenase and nitric oxide synthase by flavonoid hesperidin in mouse macrophage cell line

Previous data have shown that a citrus flavanone, hesperidin possesses chemopreventive efficacies. We designed to investigate the inhibitory effect of hesperidin on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced over-expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) proteins, over-production of prostaglandin E-2 (PGE(2)) and nitric oxide (NO) using mouse macrophage cells. Treatment with hesperidin suppressed production of PGE(2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and expression of iNOS protein. In the case of COX-2, hesperidin did not affect the protein level. Our data indicate hesperidin as a COX-2 and iNOS inhibitor, which might be related to the anti-inflammatory and anti-tumorigenic efficacies. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.