The Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Halodule uninervis Ethanolic Extract in LPS-Stimulated RAW 264.7 Macrophages

Medicinal plants have been used since ancient times for the treatment and prevention of various diseases. Plant-derived compounds offer a promising alternative to synthetic an-ti-inflammatory drugs, with potent activity and reduced toxicity. The seagrass Halodule uninervis exhibit several pharmacological properties due to the presence of various bioac-tive metabolites. However, its anti-inflammatory activity is not yet explored. In this study, we investigated the anti-inflammatory potential of an ethanolic extract of H. uninervis (HUE) in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages by assessing its effect on the expression and activation of different inflammatory mediators. Our results revealed that HUE inhibited the LPS-stimulated inflammatory response in macrophages by downregulating the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cycloox-ygenase-2 (COX-2) and reduced the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines, interleu-kin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α). Moreover, the anti-inflammatory potential of HUE was associated with reduced cellular migration and the suppression of nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-kB), signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), and mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) pathways. Altogether, H. uninervis could serve as a potent therapeutic agent in preventing chronic inflammatory diseases.