The genome-wide expression profile of Nelumbinis semen on lipopolysaccharide-stimulated BV-2 microglial cells

This study was conducted to evaluate the protective mechanisms of Nelumbinis semen (NS) on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced activation of BV-2 microglial cells. The anti-inflammatory effects of NS were determined by analyzing nitric oxide production and proinflammatory cytokines using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The mechanism was evaluated in BV-2 cells with or without NS treated with LPS for various lengths of time using oligonucleotide microarray and real time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. The oligonucleotide microarray analysis revealed that mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway-related genes such as Fgfr3, Fgf12, Rasal2, Nfkb2, Map2k5, Mapk1, Map3k7, and NFatc2 were down-regulated in LPS activated BV-2 cells by pretreatment with NS. In addition, significant decreases in Nos1ap gene expression were observed with NS pretreatment. Cluster linked pathway analysis using the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes database revealed that the effects of NS were closely associated with the regulation of mitochondria functions. These results suggested that NS can affect the MAPK signaling pathway and mitochondrial functions in BV-2 cells activated with LPS.