Anti-inflammatory function of arctiin by inhibiting COX-2 expression via NF-κB pathways

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Arctiin, isolated from <it>Forsythia suspensa </it>has been reported to have anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, antibacterial, and antiviral effects <it>in vitro</it>. However, there has been a lack of studies regarding its effects on immunological activity. The aim of this study is to investigate the anti-inflammatory potential and possible mechanisms of arctiin in LPS-induced macrophages.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We investigated the mRNA and protein levels of proinflammatory cytokines through RT-PCR and western blot analysis, followed by a FACS analysis for surface molecule changes.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Arctiin dose dependently decreased the production of NO and proinflammatory cytokines such as IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, and PGE₂, and it reduced the gene and protein levels as determined by RT-PCR and western blot analysis, respectively. The expression of co-stimulatory molecules such as B7-1 and B7-2 were also inhibited by arctiin. Furthermore, the activation of the nuclear transcription factor, NF-κB in macrophages was inhibited by arctiin.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Taken together these results provide evidence of the bioactivity of arctiin in inflammatory diseases and suggest that arctiin may exert anti-inflammatory effect by inhibiting the pro-inflammatory mediators through the inactivation of NF-kB.</p

Development of an Efficient Hull Form Design Exploration Framework

A high-efficiency design exploration framework for hull form has been developed. The framework consists of multiobjective shape optimization and design knowledge extraction. In multiobjective shape optimization, a multiobjective genetic algorithm (MOGA) using the response surface methodology is introduced to achieve efficient design space exploration. As a response surface methodology, the Kriging model, which was developed in the field of spatial statistics and geostatistics, is applied. A new surface modification method using shifting method and radial basis function interpolation is also adopted here to represent various hull forms. This method enables both global and local modifications of hull form with fewer design variables. In design knowledge extraction, two data mining techniques—functional analysis of variance (ANOVA) and self-organizing map (SOM)—are applied to acquire useful design knowledge about a hull form. The present framework has been applied to hull form optimization exploring the minimum wave drag configuration under a wide range of speeds. The results show that the present method markedly reduced the design period. From the results of data mining, it is possible to identify the design variables controlling wave drag performances at different speed regions and their corresponding geometric features