Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Sesamin on Human Gingival Fibroblast Cells

Abstract This article aims to determine sesamin's cytotoxicity and anti-inflammatory effects on IL-1β-stimulated human gingival fibroblasts (HGFs). HGF cell lines were obtained from ATCC. Cell viability of sesamin (0.4–50 µM) or 0.05% (v/v) DMSO was assessed using the MTT assay for 24 and 48 hours. HGFs were treated with 0.5 ng/mL IL-1β alone or were coincubated with indicated sesamin concentrations (12.5, 25, or 50 µM) for 24 hours. The expression of IL-6, COX-2, and MMP-2 was analyzed by real-time PCR. The production of IL-6 and PGE2 was assessed using ELISA, as well as MMP-2 activity using gelatin zymography. The data were analyzed by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), followed by Tukey HSD post hoc to assess differences. All the tests were conducted at a significance level of 95% (p < 0.05). HGFs exhibited no cytotoxicity when treated with sesamin for 24 and 48 hours. Interestingly, cotreatment with sesamin for 24 hours significantly suppressed both IL-6 and COX-2 mRNA expression, as well as IL-6 and PGE2 production, compared with HGFs stimulated with IL-1β alone. Although MMP-2 activities showed a decreasing trend with cotreatment, these changes were not statistically significant. Sesamin exhibits potential anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects by reducing the expression of inflammatory genes as well as the production of inflammatory cytokines and mediators in IL-1β-stimulated HGFs.