Celery and Green Pepper Compound Prevents Neuroinflammation
Luteolin, a plant flavonoid found in celery and green peppers has been found to reduce inflammatory response in the brain and may thus have a potential role in treating neuroinflammation as a result of aging and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and multiple sclerosis.
Graduate research assistant Saebyeol Jang studied the inflammatory response in microglial cells. She spurred inflammation by exposing the cells to lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a component of the cell wall of many common bacteria. Those cells that were also exposed to luteolin showed a significantly diminished inflammatory response. Jang showed that luteolin was shutting down production of a key cytokine in the inflammatory pathway, interleukin-6 (IL-6). The effects of luteolin exposure were dramatic, resulting in as much as a 90 percent drop in IL-6 production in the LPS-treated cells.
Although in vivo experiments in rats also turned out similar results, let’s not jump into conclusions. I wonder just how much celery and green peppers — not exactly my favorite veggies– are required to produce similar effects in humans, if they will at all.
Photo Credit: MFinderup
Comments
One Response to “Celery and Green Pepper Compound Prevents Neuroinflammation”Trackbacks
Check out what others are saying about this post...[...] And finally, what’s going on with the rest of the b5media Health & Wellness Channel? Grace at Kids Health Notes points to a UCLA study that suggests that pregnant women who use cell phones may have children with behavior problems. Kendra at A Hearty Life gives a glimpse into her struggles with stress and how it affects diabetes. Mary Emma at Alzheimer’s Notes offers 13 tips for caregivers to alleviate depression. Ruth at Eating Fabulous tells us about how celery and green pepper compound can prevent neuroinflammation. [...]