본 연구에서는 염증반응을 조절하는 다양한 신호전달체계를 중심으로 분자생물학적 방법을 통해 piceatannol의 항염증 기전을 규명하였다. LPS로 염증반응을 유도한 Raw 264.7 대식세포에서 piceatannol은 iNOS의 발현 억제를 통해 NO의 생성을 감소시키고 염증성 사이토카인(TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1β)의 생성을 감소시켰다. 염증반응을 조절하는 신호전달체계 중 piceatannol은 LPS에 의해 유도된 IκB의 분해와 p65의 핵으로의 이동을 억제하고, LPS에 의해 유도된 SAPK/JNK의 인산화를 억제하였다. 또한 piceatannol은 LPS와 IL-6(LPS에 의해 증가됨)에 의한 STAT3의 활성화를 억제하였다. 뿐만 아니라 piceatannol은 Nrf2의 핵 내 축적을 야기하고 ARE의 transcriptional activity를 증가시켜 HO-1의 발현을 증가시켰다. 본 연구의 결과, piceatannol은 NF-κB와 AP-1, STAT3 신호전달의 억제를 통해, 그리고 HO-1의 발현 증가를 통해 항염증 효과를 나타내었다(Fig. 8).
3,4,3",5"-Tetrahydroxy-trans-stilbene (piceatannol) is a derivative of resveratrol with a variety of biological activities, including anti-inflammatory, anti-proliferative, and anti-cancer activities. We assessed the mechanisms by which piceatannol inhibits inflammatory responses using lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated Raw264.7 murine macrophages. Piceatannol (0~10 μmol/L) decreased LPS-induced release of nitric oxide, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1β, and inhibited LPS-induced protein expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). Activation of nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-κB), activator protein (AP)-1, and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) are crucial steps during an inflammatory response. Piceatannol prevented LPS-induced degradation of inhibitor of κB (IκB), translocation of p65 to the nucleus, and phosphorylation of stress-activated protein kinase/c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase (SAPK/JNK). Additionally, piceatannol inhibited LPS-induced phosphorylation of STAT3 and IL-6-induced translocation of STAT3 to the nucleus. Furthermore, piceatannol increased the protein and mRNA levels of hemeoxygenase (HO)-1, the rate-limiting enzyme of heme catabolism that plays a critical role in mediating antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. Piceatannol further induced antioxidant response elements (ARE)-driven luciferase activity in Raw264.7 cells transfected with an ARE-luciferase reporter construct containing the enhancer 2 and minimal promoter region of HO-1. These results suggest that piceatannol exerts anti-inflammatory effects via the down-regulation of iNOS expression and up-regulation of HO-1 expression.