TNF-alpha-induced up-regulation of pro-inflammatory cytokines is reduced by phosphatidylcholine in intestinal epithelial cells.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Phosphatidylcholine (PC) is a major lipid of the gastrointestinal mucus layer. We recently showed that mucus from patients suffering from ulcerative colitis has low levels of PC. Clinical studies reveal that the therapeutic addition of PC to the colonic mucus using slow release preparations is beneficial. The positive role of PC in this disease is still unclear; however, we have recently shown that PC has an intrinsic anti-inflammatory property. It could be demonstrated that the exogenous application of PC inhibits membrane-dependent actin assembly and TNF-alpha-induced nuclear NF-kappaB activation. We investigate here in more detail the hypothesis that the exogenous application of PC has anti-inflammatory properties.

Methods

PC species with different fatty acid s

SUBMITTER: Treede I 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2714528 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature