Oligonol, a lychee fruit-derived low-molecular form of polyphenol mixture, suppresses inflammatory cytokine production from human monocytes

• Published in: Human immunology Vol. 77; no. 6; pp. 512 - 515
• Main Authors: Lee, Naeun, Shin, Min Sun, Kang, Youna, Park, Kieyoung, Maeda, Takahiro, Nishioka, Hiroshi, Fujii, Hajime, Kang, Insoo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.06.2016
• Subjects: Allergy and Immunology; Anti-Inflammatory Agents - therapeutic use; Catechin - analogs & derivatives; Catechin - therapeutic use; Cells, Cultured; Cytokines; Gene Expression Regulation - drug effects; Human; Humans; Inflammation - drug therapy; Inflammation - immunology; Interleukin-6 - genetics; Interleukin-6 - metabolism; Litchi - immunology; Monocytes; Monocytes - drug effects; Monocytes - immunology; NF-kappa B - metabolism; Oligonol; Phenols - therapeutic use; Plant Extracts - chemistry; Plant Extracts - therapeutic use; Polyphenols; Polyphenols - chemistry; Signal Transduction - drug effects; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha - genetics; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha - metabolism; Human; Polyphenols; Monocytes; Cytokines; Oligonol
• ISSN: 0198-8859; 1879-1166; 1879-1166
• DOI: 10.1016/j.humimm.2016.04.011

Monocytes produce high levels of inflammatory cytokines including IL-6 and TNF-α that are involved in autoimmunity, inflammatory diseases, cardiovascular disease and obesity. Therapies targeting IL-6 and TNF-α have been utilized in treating chronic inflammatory diseases. Oligonol is a lychee fruit-derived low-molecular form of polyphenol mixture, typically catechin-type monomers and oligomers of proanthocyanidins, which are produced by an oligomerization process. Although previous studies reported anti-inflammatory properties of Oligonol, it is unknown whether and how Oligonol suppresses IL-6 and TNF-α production in human monocytes. The results of our study demonstrate that Oligonol (25μg/ml) decreases the production of IL-6 and TNF-α from human primary monocytes as measured by flow cytometry and ELISA. Such an anti-cytokine effect was likely mediated by the suppression of NF-κB activation without inducing cell death. Our findings raise the possibility of exploring the benefits of Oligonol in controlling inflammatory conditions, especially those associated with monocytes, in humans.