Plant compound in celery and green peppers found to reduce inflammation
23 May 2008
Early research published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has shown that a plant compound found in abundance in celery and green peppers may be able to disrupt a key component of the inflammatory response in the brain.
Inflammation is a critical part of the body's immune response that in normal circumstances reduces injury and promotes healing. Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune condition. It is caused by the immune system mistaking the body’s own tissue in the brain and spinal cord (central nervous system) as foreign and attacking it.
The new study investigated a plant compound called luteolin which is known to impede the inflammatory response in several types of cells outside the central nervous system (CNS). The purpose of the study was to determine if luteolin could also reduce inflammation the brain.
Inflamed brain cells that were exposed to luteolin showed a significantly diminished inflammatory response compared to those which weren’t. Luteolin was shown to be shutting down production of a key chemical messenger in the inflammatory process called interleukin-6 (IL-6). Luteolin exposure resulted in as much as a 90 per cent drop in IL-6 production in the inflamed cells.
To test the effects of luteolin further the researchers gave mice luteolin-laced drinking water for 21 days before injecting the mice with inflammation causing agents.
Those mice that were fed luteolin had significantly lower levels of IL-6 in their blood four hours after injection. Though these studies are at an early stage, they suggest a possible role for luteolin or other bioactive compounds in treating inflammation in the CNS.
Dr Laura Bell, Research communication officer at the MS Society said: ‘Like everyone else, people with MS can benefit from a healthy diet. It is important to remember that you can usually get all the nutrients you need through a healthy well-balanced diet including plenty of fruit and vegetables.’
More information about the Food Standards agency recommendations for a healthy diet can be found at www.eatwell.gov.uk/healthydiet/nutritionessentials/
The new study investigated a plant compound called luteolin which is known to impede the inflammatory response in several types of cells outside the central nervous system (CNS). The purpose of the study was to determine if luteolin could also reduce inflammation the brain.
Inflamed brain cells that were exposed to luteolin showed a significantly diminished inflammatory response compared to those which weren’t. Luteolin was shown to be shutting down production of a key chemical messenger in the inflammatory process called interleukin-6 (IL-6). Luteolin exposure resulted in as much as a 90 per cent drop in IL-6 production in the inflamed cells.
To test the effects of luteolin further the researchers gave mice luteolin-laced drinking water for 21 days before injecting the mice with inflammation causing agents.
Those mice that were fed luteolin had significantly lower levels of IL-6 in their blood four hours after injection. Though these studies are at an early stage, they suggest a possible role for luteolin or other bioactive compounds in treating inflammation in the CNS.
Dr Laura Bell, Research communication officer at the MS Society said: ‘Like everyone else, people with MS can benefit from a healthy diet. It is important to remember that you can usually get all the nutrients you need through a healthy well-balanced diet including plenty of fruit and vegetables.’
More information about the Food Standards agency recommendations for a healthy diet can be found at www.eatwell.gov.uk/healthydiet/nutritionessentials/
