3,5,6,7,8,3′,4′-Heptamethoxyflavone, a Citrus Polymethoxylated Flavone, Attenuates Inflammation in the Mouse Hippocampus

• Main Authors: Satoshi Okuyama, Kazuhiro Miyoshi, Yuichi Tsumura, Yoshiaki Amakura, Morio Yoshimura, Takashi Yoshida, Mitsunari Nakajima, Yoshiko Furukawa
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2015-04-01
• Series: Brain Sciences
• Subjects: 3,5,6,7,8,3′,4′-heptamethoxyflavone; anti-inflammation; hippocampus; microglia; IL-1β
• Online Access: http://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/5/2/118
• ISSN: 2076-3425

Citrus polymethoxylated flavones (PMFs) have recently been shown to suppress inflammation in peripheral tissues. In the present study, we investigated the effects of 3,5,6,7,8,3′,4′-heptamethoxyflavone (HMF), one of the PMFs, on inflammation in the brain in vivo using mice injected intrahippocampally with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). We demonstrated that subcutaneously injected HMF suppressed: (1) LPS-induced losses in body weight; (2) LPS-induced microglial activation in the hippocampus; and (3) LPS-induced interleukin-1β mRNA expression in the hippocampus. These results suggest that HMF has the ability to reduce neuroinflammation in the brain.