Abstract

BACKGROUND
Caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) is an active component of propolis and is known to have anti-inflammatory properties. This study was performed to evaluate the effects of CAPE on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced murine macrophage activation.
METHODS
Raw 264.7 cells were incubated with varying concentrations of CAPE with or without LPS. The production of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin (IL)-1beta and macrophage inflammatory protein-2 (MIP-2) and activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1/2 (ERK1/2), c-Jun amino terminal kinases (JNK) and p38 were measured.
RESULTS
CAPE inhibited the production of TNF-alpha, IL-1beta and MIP-2 and attenuated phosphorylation levels of ERK1/2 and p38, but not JNK in RAW264.7 cells stimulated with LPS.
CONCLUSIONS
CAPE can attenuate LPS-induced macrophage responses and we suggest that these effects may play an important role in modulating macrophage-mediated inflammatory responses in vivo.

• Keywords: caffeic acid phenethyl ester;cytokines;mitogen-activated protein kinases;