LAUSR

Taraxacum officinale has been consumed as a folk remedy due to its diverse physiological activities. This study aimed to investigate the antioxidative potential of T. officinale water extract (TOWE) and ethanol extract (TOEE) against oxidative stress and compare their molecular mechanism via the induction of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) in RAW 264.7 cells. The antioxidative activity was evaluated through the radical scavenging assay, the cytoprotection assay against oxidative damage, and Western blot analysis. Both extracts dose-dependently induced HO-1 expression without any cytotoxicity in accordance with the activation of a transcription factor, nuclear factor-erythroid 2 p45-related factor 2 (Nrf2). In addition, TOWE induced HO-1 expression through the phosphorylation of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt and c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase (JNK), while TOEE activated HO-1 by PI3K/Akt phosphorylation. In order to identify the antioxidative potential by HO-1 induction, oxidative damage-caused cell death by tert-butyl hydroperoxide (t-BHP) was significantly attenuated by both extracts. Their antioxidative potential was confirmed by HO-1 selective inducer and inhibitor, cobalt protoporphyrin (CoPP), and tin protoporphyrin (SnPP), respectively. These results indicate that TOWE and TOEE potently alleviated oxidative damage via the induction of Nrf2/MAPK/PI3K mediated HO-1 induction in RAW 264.7 cells.