Purpose: The aims of this study were to examine the effects of berberine, an alkaloid isolated from some medicinal herbs, on interleukin 8 (IL-8) and monocyte chemotactic protein 1 (MCP-1) expression in a human retinal pigment epithelial cell line (ARPE-19) stimulated with interleukin 1beta (IL-1beta) or tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha).
Methods: ARPE-19 cells were cultured to confluence. Berberine and IL-1beta or TNF-alpha were added to the medium. IL-8 mRNA and MCP-1 mRNA were measured by semiquantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction and real-time polymerase chain reaction. IL-8 and MCP-1 protein concentrations in the media were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.
Results: Berberine dose-dependently inhibited IL-8 mRNA and MCP-1 mRNA expression of the cells and protein levels in the media stimulated with IL-1beta or TNF-alpha.
Conclusion: These findings indicate that berberine dose-dependently inhibited the expression of IL-8 and MCP-1 induced by IL-1beta or TNF-alpha.
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