β‐carotene attenuates lipopolysaccharide‐induced inflammation via inhibition of the NF‐κB, JAK2/STAT3 and JNK/p38 MAPK signaling pathways in macrophages

Abstract β‐carotene is one of the most abundant carotenoids, has potential anti‐inflammatory effect, it has been reported that β‐carotene could suppress LPS‐induced inflammatory responses by inhibiting nuclear factor kappa B (NF‐κB) translocation, but the more detailed molecular mechanisms underlying the anti‐inflammatory action of β‐carotene remain to be fully understood. In this study, we investigated the influence of β‐carotene on the activation of JAK2/STAT3, MAPK, and NF‐κB signaling pathway induced by LPS in RAW264.7 cells and peritoneal macrophages. Cells were treated with different concentrations of β‐carotene for 3 hr after LPS treatment for 24 hr. The mRNA expression and the release of IL‐1β, IL‐6, and TNF‐α were evaluated by RT‐PCR and ELISA, and the level of signaling proteins of JAK2/STAT3, MAPK, and NF‐κB signaling pathway were detected by Western blot. The results showed that β‐carotene significantly suppressed ( p < 0.05) LPS‐induced release of IL‐1β, IL‐6, and TNF‐α and their mRNA expression. LPS‐induced JAK2/STAT3, IκB/NF‐κB p65, JNK/p38 MAPK signal activation were significantly attenuated ( p < 0.05) by β‐carotene in a dose‐dependent manner. In conclusion, β‐carotene could attenuate LPS‐induced inflammation via inhibition of the NF‐κB, JAK2/STAT3, and JNK/p38 MAPK signaling pathways in macrophages.