Anti-inflammatory effect of fatty acids through NF-κB and MAPK pathways against LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells.

is a marine organism that damages the fishing industry, but also is a potential source of functional materials. The present study was conducted to analyze the profiles of fatty acids extracted from tissues and their anti-inflammatory effects on RAW264.7 macrophage cells. In different tissues, the component ratios of saturated fatty acids, monounsaturated fatty acids, and polyunsaturated fatty acids differed; particularly,polyunsaturated fatty acids such as dihomo-gamma linolenic acid (20:3n-6) and eicosapentaenoic acid (20:5n-3) were considerably different. In lipopolysaccharide-stimulated RAW264.7 cells, fatty acids from skin, gonads, and digestive glands exhibited anti-inflammatory activities by reducing nitric oxide production and inducing nitric oxide synthase gene expression. fatty acids effectively suppressed the expression of inflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-1β,and interleukin-6 in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated cells. Cyclooxygenase-2 and prostaglandin E,which are critical inflammation biomarkers, were also significantly suppressed. Furthermore, fatty acids reduced the phosphorylation of nuclear factor-κB p-65, p38, extracellular signal-related kinase 1/2, and c-Jun N-terminal kinase, indicating that these fatty acids ameliorated inflammation through the nuclear factor-κB and mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways. These results provide insight into the anti-inflammatory mechanism of fatty acids on immune cells and suggest that a potential fatty acid source of anti-inflammatory molecules.