Although various derivatives of caffeic acid have been reported to possess a wide variety of biological activities such as protection of neuronal cells against excitotoxicity, the biological activity of 1-docosanoyl cafferate (DC) has not been examined. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the anti-inflammatory effects of DC, isolated from the stem bark of Rhus verniciflua, on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated BV2 microglial cells. Pretreatment of cells with DC significantly attenuated LPS-induced NO production, and mRNA and protein expression of iNOS in a concentration-dependent manner. DC also significantly suppressed LPS-induced release of cytokines such as TNF-α and IL-1β . Consistent with the decrease in cytokine release, DC dose-dependently and significantly attenuated LPS-induced mRNA expression of these cytokines. Furthermore, DC significantly suppressed LPS-induced degradation of IKB, which retains NF-kB in the cytoplasm. Therefore, nuclear translocation of NF-kB induced by LPS stimulation was significantly suppressed with DC pretreatment. Taken together, the present study suggests that DC exerts its anti-inflammatory activity through the suppression of NF-kB translocation to the nucleus.
