Cardiac effects of isoliquiritigenin

Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma: The popular occurrence of herbal medicine applied in classical prescriptions

Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma is a well-known herbal medicine with a wide range of pharmacological functions that has been used throughout Chinese history. This review presents a comprehensive introduction to this herb and its classical prescriptions. The article discusses the resources and distribution of species, methods of authentication and determination chemical composition, quality control of the original plants and herbal medicines, dosages use, common classical prescriptions, indications, and relevant mechanisms of the active content. Pharmacokinetic parameters, toxicity tests, clinical trials, and patent applications are discussed. The review will provide a good starting point for the research and development of classical prescriptions to develop herbal medicines for clinical use.

Chalcones: Potential Chemotherapeutic Compounds and Educational Tools for Closing the Loop in STEM

ConspectusThe study discussed herein describes the synthesis of halogenated chalcones as potential chemotherapeutics. The synthesis work was conducted by undergraduate students participating in an Organic Chemistry II laboratory course at Tuskegee University, while the biological assays were conducted by students enrolled in a Molecular Biology I laboratory course. Chalcones were synthesized via aldol condensation and purified from hot ethanol. The impetus for the work was the fact that Tuskegee University sits positioned within the Black Belt of Alabama which, in addition to being an area of fertile soil and excellent farmland, is also an area rife with health disparities that particularly affect African-Americans. Breast cancer, specifically triple-negative breast cancer, affects African-American women at a higher rate than any other ethnic group. The work described herein addresses a practical problem [teaching undergraduate students about the interface of synthetic techniques, synthesis of specific classes of compounds, functional groups, and their relation to biological activity], as well an existential problem [the prevalence of breast cancer among African-American women, and the need to develop targeted treatments]. One of the chief aims of this approach of integrating these ideas into our laboratory courses was to facilitate the understanding of translational science, i.e. taking chalcones from benchtop to potential therapies for breast cancer. Another aim of the current approach was to, in essence, create a research problem based course and concomitantly use the results of the experiments performed in the course as a way to address the dearth of research funding that HBCUs typically receive. The pharmacological activities of chalcones and their derivatives are well documented. They are an important class of natural products that occur in edible plant derivatives such as spices, teas, fruits and various vegetables. In vitro studies have shown that chalcones inhibit proliferation of breast cancer cells by inducing apoptosis and blocking cell progression. The synthesis of chalcones with aromatic substituents has been investigated, and electron rich chalcones, i.e., chalcones with donors attached to the aromatic rings, have been studied extensively. The effect that adding electron withdrawing groups to the chalcone structural motif has on the antiproliferation ability of chalcones had been only minimally investigated at the time that our studies were being conducted. We examined the introduction of chlorine to the aromatic system of the chalcone and how these electron withdrawing substituents affect the chalcone's antiproliferative ability. It was discovered that (E)-3-(4-chlorophenyl)-1-phenylprop-2-en-1-one inhibited MDA-MB-231 cell progression in a dose dependent manner and outperformed the unsubstituted (E)-1,3-diphenyl-2-propen-1-one (1) at concentrations ranging from 0 μg/mL to 20 μg/mL. Cell death was determined by MTT assay.

The Guizhi Gancao Decoction Attenuates Myocardial Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury by Suppressing Inflammation and Cardiomyocyte Apoptosis

Guizhi Gancao Decoction (GGD) is a well-known traditional Chinese herbal medicine for the treatment of various cardiovascular diseases, such as myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury and arrhythmia. However, the mechanism by which GGD contributes to the amelioration of cardiac injury remains unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential protective role of GGD against myocardial I/R injury and its possible mechanism. Consistent with the effect of the positive drug (Trimetazidine, TMZ), we subsequently validated that GGD could ameliorate myocardial I/R injury as evidenced by histopathological examination and triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining. Moreover, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay demonstrated that GGD suppressed myocardial apoptosis, which may be related to the upregulation of Bcl-2, PPARα, and PPARγ and downregulation of Bax, caspase-3, and caspase-9. Pretreatment with GGD attenuated the levels of proinflammatory cytokines including tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin- (IL-) 6, and IL-1β in serum by inhibiting Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)/NF-κB signaling pathway. These results indicated that GGD exhibits cardioprotective effects on myocardial I/R injury through inhibition of the TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway, which led to reduced inflammatory response and the subsequent cardiomyocyte apoptosis.

The Effects of the Honey-Roasting Process on the Pharmacokinetics of the Six Active Compounds of Licorice

A convenient UPLC-MS/MS method was established to determine the contents of six bioactive compounds, namely, liquiritin apioside, liquiritin, isoliquiritin, liquiritigenin, isoliquiritigenin, and glycyrrhetinic acid, in rat plasma and their pharmacokinetics. By comparing the pharmacokinetic parameters of these compounds in rats by orally administering raw and honey-roasting licorice, the C_max of isoliquiritin showed a significant decrease, while the AUC_0-24h showed no significant differences. The C_max and AUC_0-24h of isoliquiritigenin were increased by 49.3% and 42.7% over those of the raw licorice group, respectively. These results indicate that the absorption of isoliquiritin in rats was reduced while the absorption of isoliquiritigenin was promoted in the honey-roasting process. These results may provide one explanation as to why licorice is more able to relieve cough, while honey-roasting licorice is better at invigorating qi and restoring pulse. Furthermore, the C_max of glycyrrhetinic acid was increased, suggesting that it may enhance the tonic effect of licorice. Additionally, the amount of honey added in the honey-roasting process influenced the pharmacokinetic parameters of the six compounds whose absorption decreased when the 50% honey-roasting licorice water decoction was administered. These results provide an experimental basis for studying the influence of licorice processing on bioactive compound pharmacokinetics.

The inhibitory effect of Isoliquiritigenin on the proliferation of human arterial smooth muscle cell

BACKGROUND

Isoliquiritigenin (ISL) has various biological activities including as antioxidant and an inhibitor of PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. However, both oxidative stress and activated PI3K/AKT signaling contribute to the aberrant proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). This study is aimed to explore the effect of ISL on the proliferation of human arterial smooth muscle cells (HASMCs) and to investigate the underlying mechanisms.

METHODS

BrdU incorporation, cell cycle and reactive oxygen species (ROS) in normal or ISL treated HASMCs were analyzed by flow cytometry. Cell viablity was measured by CCK-8. Protein expression levels were examined by Western blot, and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity was detected by using commercial kit.

RESULTS

We observed that ISL could inhibit the proliferation of HASMCs in a dose and time dependent manner. Cell cycle of ISL treated HASMCs arrested mainly in G1/S phase and accompanied with elevated expression of p27 and decreased expression of CyclinD1 and CyclinE. In addition, ISL could down-regulated the expression of p-PI3K and p-AKT, alleviated oxidative stress and enhanced the SOD activity in HASMCs. Furthermore, H₂O₂ treatment partly improved cell viability and up regulated p-PI3K and p-AKT in HASMCs.

CONCLUSIONS

Therefore, we concluded that ISL inhibited the proliferation of HASMCs via attenuating oxidative stress and suppressing PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. The inhibitory effect of ISL on PI3K/AKT signaling pathway, at least partly, was mediated by ROS.

Pharmacological Activities and Phytochemical Constituents

Glycyrrhiza glabra is one of the most popular medicinal plants and it has been used in traditional herbal remedy since ancient times (Blumenthal et al. in Herbal medicine: expanded commission E monographs. Integrative Medicine Communications, Newton, 2000; Parvaiz et al. in Global J Pharmocol 8(1):8–13, 2014; Altay et al. in J Plant Res 129(6):1021–1032, 2016). Many experimental, pharmacological and clinical studies show that liquorice has antimicrobial, antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, antihepatotoxic, antioxidant, antiulcer, anti-hemorrhoid antihyperglycemic, antidiuretic, antinephritic, anticarcinogenic, antimutagenic, anticytotoxic, anti-inflammatory, and blood stopper activity.

Effects of isoliquiritigenin on ovarian antral follicle growth and steroidogenesis

Isoliquiritigenin is a botanical estrogen used as a dietary supplement. Previous studies show that other botanical estrogens affect ovarian estradiol synthesis, but isoliquiritigenin's effects on the ovary are unknown. Thus, this study tested the hypothesis that isoliquiritigenin inhibits ovarian antral follicle growth and steroidogenesis. Antral follicles from CD-1 mice were cultured with vehicle control (dimethyl sulfoxide; DMSO) or isoliquiritigenin (0.6μM, 6 μM, 36 μM, and 100 μM) for 48-96h. During culture, follicle diameters were measured daily to assess follicle growth. After culture, media were collected for hormone assays and follicles were collected for gene expression analysis of steroidogenic enzymes. Isoliquiritigenin inhibited antral follicle growth and altered estradiol, testosterone, and progesterone levels. Additionally, isoliquiritigenin altered the mRNA levels of cytochrome P450 steroid 17-α-hydroxylase 1, aromatase, 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 1, and steroidogenic acute regulatory protein. These data indicate that exposure to isoliquiritigenin inhibits growth and disrupts steroid production in antral follicles.

Bioactivity and potential health benefits of licorice

Licorice is an herbal plant named for its unique sweet flavor. It is widely used in the food and tobacco industries as a sweetener. Licorice is also used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and complementary medicine. Because the use of licorice has long been a part of TCM, the details of its therapeutic applications have been thoroughly established. In modern science, licorice is of interest because of its broad range of applications. Extracts of and compounds isolated from licorice have been well studied and biologically characterized. In this review, we discuss the nutraceutical and functional activities of licorice as well as those of the extracts of and the isolated compounds from licorice, including agents with anti-inflammatory activity, cell-protective abilities, and chemopreventive effects. The side effects of licorice are also enumerated. A comparison of the activities of licorice described by modern science and TCM is also presented, revealing the correspondence of certain characteristics.

Exploration, synthesis and studies of gel forming simple sugar-chalcone derivatives

Simple sugar-chalcone derivatives have been obtained by aldol condensation where aglycon–chalcone dimer was obtained as an unexpected product in addition to the sugar-chalcone

Studies on the synthesis of a sugar triazole based ligand for protein and DNA binding

Bis-triazole derivatives accomplished by [3 + 2] cycloaddition methodology were well characterized. Interaction of bis-triazoles with BSA and CT-DNA had good correlation with experimental and docking studies. Compounds showed moderate to excellent antibacterial activity.

The role of chalcones in suppression of NF-κB-mediated inflammation and cancer

Although consumption of fruits, vegetables, spices, cereals and pulses has been associated with lower incidence of cancer and other chronic diseases, how these dietary agents and their active ingredients minimize these diseases, is not fully understood. Whether it is oranges, kawa, hops, water-lilly, locorice, wax apple or mulberry, they are all connected by a group of aromatic ketones, called chalcones (1,3-diaryl-2-propen-1-ones). Some of the most significant chalcones identified from these plants include flavokawin, butein, xanthoangelol, 4-hydroxyderricin, cardamonin, 2',4'-dihydroxychalcone, isoliquiritigenin, isosalipurposide, and naringenin chalcone. These chalcones have been linked with immunomodulation, antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anticancer, and antidiabetic activities. The current review, however, deals with the role of various chalcones in inflammation that controls both the immune system and tumorigenesis. Inflammatory pathways have been shown to mediate the survival, proliferation, invasion, angiogenesis and metastasis of tumors. How these chalcones modulate inflammatory pathways, tumorigenesis and immune system is the focus of this review.

Cancer chemopreventive activity and metabolism of isoliquiritigenin, a compound found in licorice

Isoliquiritigenin (2',4',4-trihydroxychalcone; ILG), a chalcone found in licorice root and many other plants, has shown potential chemopreventive activity through induction of phase II enzymes such as quinone reductase-1 in murine hepatoma cells. In this study, the in vivo metabolism of ILG was investigated in rats. In addition, ILG glucuronides and ILG-glutathione adducts were observed in human hepatocytes and in livers from rats treated with ILG. ILG glucuronides were detected in both plasma and rat liver tissues. In addition, in a full-term cancer chemoprevention study conducted with 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene-treated female Sprague-Dawley rats, dietary administration of ILG slightly increased tumor latency but had a negative effect on the incidence of mammary tumors starting at approximately 65 days after 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene administration. Further, no significant induction of phase II enzymes was found in mammary glands, which is consistent with the low level of ILG observed in these tissues. However, ILG significantly induced quinone reductase-1 activity in the colon, and glutathione as well as glutathione S-transferase in the liver. Analysis of mRNA expression in tissues of rats treated with ILG supported these findings. These results suggest that ILG should be tested for chemopreventive efficacy in nonmammary models of cancer.

Emerging role of Garcinol, the antioxidant chalcone from Garcinia indica Choisy and its synthetic analogs

Garcinol, harvested from Garcinia indica, has traditionally been used in tropical regions and appreciated for centuries; however its biological properties are only beginning to be elucidated. There is ample data to suggest potent antioxidant properties of this compound which have been used to explain most of its observed biological activities. However, emerging evidence suggests that garcinol could be useful as an anti-cancer agent, and it is increasingly being realized that garcinol is a pleiotropic agent capable of modulating key regulatory cell signaling pathways. Here we have summarized the progress of our current research knowledge on garcinol and its observed biological activities. We have also provided an explanation of observed properties based on its chemical structure and provided an insight into the structure and properties of chalcones, the precursors of garcinol. The available data is promising but more detailed investigations into the various properties of this compound, particularly its anti-cancer activity are urgently needed, and it is our hope that this review will stimulate further research for elucidating and appreciating the value of this nature's wonder agent.

Inhibitory effects of isoliquiritigenin and licorice extract on voltage-dependent K(+) currents in H9c2 cells

The effect of isoliquiritigenin (ISL), a component of licorice, on the voltage-dependent, ultra-rapidly activating delayed-rectifier K(+) current (IKur) was examined in H9c2 cells, a cell-line derived from rat cardiac myoblasts. IKur was recorded using the whole-cell patch clamp method with a pipette solution containing 140 mM K(+). Depolarizing voltage pulses of 200-ms duration were given with 10-mV steps every 10 s from -40 mV holding potential. ISL inhibited IKur in a concentration-dependent manner. The median inhibitory concentration (IC(50)) of ISL was approximately 0.11 microM and the Hill coefficient was 0.71. Using CHO cells expressing Kv1.5 IKur channels, ISL also inhibited Kv1.5 IKur, but less potently than the IKur current in H9c2 cells. Furthermore, in H9c2 cells, the licorice extract itself inhibited IKur in a manner similar to ISL. We conclude that ISL, one component of licorice, is a potent inhibitor of K(+) channels, which specifically in H9c2 cells could be Kv2.1, and that this inhibition may be involved in various pharmacological effects of licorice.

Antimicrobial and antioxidative activities of bioactive constituents from Hydnophytum formicarum Jack

Hydnophytum formicarum Jack. (Rubiaceae) is a medicinal plant whose tubers possesses cardiovascular, anti-inflammatory and antiparasitic effects and have been used for the treatment of hepatitis, rheumatism and diarrhea. Herein we report the isolation of its active constituents and the testing of their antimicrobial activity against 27 strains of microorganisms using an agar dilution method and of their antioxidative activity using the DPPH and SOD assays. The results show that the crude hexane, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate and methanol extracts exert such activities. Particularly, the crude ethyl acetate extract exhibits antigrowth activity against many Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria with MIC 256 μg/mL. Shewanella putrefaciens ATCC 8671 is completely inhibited at a lower MIC (128 μg/mL). Interestingly, Corynebacterium diphtheriae NCTC 10356 is inhibited by all the tested extracts. Significantly, the ethyl acetate extract is also the most potent antioxidant, showing 83.31% radical scavenging activity with IC₅₀ 8.40 μg/mL in the DPPH assay. The other extracts display weak to moderate antioxidative activities, ranging from 28.60-56.80% radical scavenging. The SOD assay shows that methanol extract exhibits the highest activity (74.19% inhibition of superoxide radical). The dichloromethane and ethyl acetate extracts display comparable SOD activity. The promising bioactivities of the crude ethyl acetate extract guided the first isolation of bioactive flavonoid and phenolic compounds: isoliquiritigenin (2), protocatechualdehyde (3), butin (4) and butein (5) from this species. Their structures have been fully established by 1D and 2D NMR. In addition, stigmasterol was isolated from the crude hexane and dichloromethane extracts. The antimicrobial and cytotoxic activities of compounds 3-5 were evaluated. The tested compounds were inactive against HuCCA-1 and KB cell lines, showing ED₅₀> 10 μg/mL. Protocatechualdehyde (3) completely inhibits the growth of Plesiomonas shigelloides with MIC ≤60 μg/mL. As a result, we propose that Hydnophytum formicarum Jack. can serve as a new source enriched with potent antioxidative and antimicrobial agents.

Real-time monitoring of intracellular calcium dynamic mobilization of a single cardiomyocyte in a microfluidic chip pertaining to drug discovery

A microfluidic method for real-time quantitative measurement of cellular response pertaining to drug discovery is reported. This method is capable of multiple-step liquid delivery for measuring the drug response of a single cardiomyocyte, due to the improved cell retention by a newly designed chip. The chip, which consists of a cell-retention chamber with a weir structure, was fabricated just by a one-photomask microfabrication procedure followed by on-chip etching. This method differs from the conventional method, which uses two-mask photolithography to fabricate the microchannel (deep etch) and the weir structure (shallow etch). The dimensions of the weir structure have been predicted by a mathematical model, and confirmed by confocal microscopy. Using this microfluidic method, the dynamic [Ca2+]i mobilization in a single cardiomyocyte during its spontaneous contraction was quantified. Furthermore, we measured the cellular response of a cardiomyocyte on (i) a known cardiotonic agent (caffeine), (ii) a cardiotoxic chemotherapeutic drug (daunorubicin), and (iii) an herbal anticancer drug candidate - isoliquiritigenin (IQ) based on the fluorescent calcium measurement. It was found that IQ had produced a less pronounced effect on calcium mobilization( )of the cardiomyocytes whereas caffeine and daunorubicin had much stronger effects on the cells. These three experiments on cardiomyocytes pertaining to drug discovery were only possible after the improved cell retention provided by the new chip design (MV2) required for multiple-step real-time cellular analysis on a microchip, as compared with our old chip design (MV1).

Protective effects of Ping-Lv-Mixture (PLM), a medicinal formula on arrhythmias induced by myocardial ischemia-reperfusion

Ping-Lv-Mixture (PLM) is a Chinese medicinal formula. The present study aimed to determine the effects of PLM on myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (MI/R) induced arrhythmias in rats. Arrhythmia model was established by occlusion of the left arterial descending coronary artery and thereafter reperfusion. A lead II electrocardiogram was monitored throughout the experiment. The results showed that pretreatment of PLM to MI/R rats significantly reduced the incidence and duration of ventricular tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation. On induction of MI/R, the activities of creatine kinase and lactate dehydrogenase were increased in vehicle group. PLM (0.04-1.00 g/kg) administration prevented the increase of these enzymes. Moreover, a significant increase of myocardium superoxide dismutase and decrease of malondialdehyde contents were observed in rats of PLM groups. On the other hand, the expressions of platelet activating factor (PAF) receptor mRNA was down-regulated in a dose-dependent manner in the PLM-treated groups by RT-PCR. Thus, it can be concluded that pretreatment with PLM inhibited lipid peroxidation in rats through suppressing the expression of PAF receptor, which may contribute to its preventive effect on myocardial ischemia-reperfusion induced arrhythmias.

Molecular cytotoxic mechanisms of anticancer hydroxychalcones

Chalcones are being considered as anticancer agents as they are natural compounds that are particularly cytotoxic towards K562 leukemia or melanoma cells. In this study, we have investigated phloretin, isoliquiritigenin, and 10 other hydroxylated chalcones for their cytotoxic mechanisms towards isolated rat hepatocytes. All hydroxychalcones partly depleted hepatocyte GSH and oxidized GSH to GSSG. These chalcones also caused a collapse of mitochondrial membrane potential and increased oxygen uptake. Furthermore, glycolytic or citric acid cycle substrates prevented cytotoxicity and mitochondrial membrane potential collapse. The highest pKa chalcones were the most effective at collapsing the mitochondrial membrane potential which suggests that the cytotoxic activity of hydroxychalcones are likely because of their ability to uncouple mitochondria.

Effects of nitric oxide donors on cardiac contractility in wild-type and myoglobin-deficient mice

1. The effects of the nitric oxide (NO) donors S-nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine (SNAP), sodium(Z)-1-(N,N-diethylamino)diazen-1-ium-1,2-diolate (DEA-NONOate), and (Z)-1-[N-(2-Aminoethyl)-N-(2-ammonioethyl)amino]diazen-1-ium-1,2-diolate (DETA-NONOate) on force of contraction (F(c)) were studied in atrial and ventricular muscle strips obtained from wild-type (WT) and myoglobin-deficient (myo(-/-)) mice. 2. SNAP slightly reduced F(c) in preparations from WT mice at concentrations above 100 microM; this effect was more pronounced in myo(-/-) mice. 3. DEA-NONOate reduced F(c) in preparations from myo(-/-) mice to a larger extent than those from WT mice. 4. DETA-NONOate reduced F(c) in preparations from myo(-/-) but not from WT mice. 5. Pre-incubation with an inhibitor of the soluble guanylyl cyclase (1H-[1,2,4]oxadiazolo[4,3-a]quinoxalin-1-one; 100 microM) prevented the effects of SNAP, DEA-NONOate and DETA-NONOate on F(c) in myo(-/-) mice. 6. It is suggested that, in physiological conditions, myoglobin acts as intracellular scavenger preventing NO from reaching its intracellular receptors in cardiomyocytes, whereas, in myoglobin-deficient conditions, NO is able to reduce contractility via activation of the soluble guanylyl cyclase/cyclic GMP pathway.

Activators of soluble guanylate cyclase for the treatment of male erectile dysfunction

Soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) is an important enzyme in corpus cavernosum smooth muscle cells as it is one of the regulators of the synthesis of cGMP. The efficacy of sildenafil (Viagra) in the treatment of male erectile dysfunction indicates the importance of the cGMP system in the erectile response as the increased levels of cGMP induce relaxation of the corpus cavernosum. sGC is physiologically activated by nitric oxide (NO) during sexual stimulation, and its activity can be pharmacologically enhanced by several NO-donors. Agents like YC-1 can also activate sGC after binding to a novel allosteric site in the enzyme, a site different from the NO binding site. YC-1 can relax rabbit cavernosal tissue and it facilitates penile erection in vivo. This review summarizes the enzymology, biochemistry and pharmacology of this novel allosteric site and its relevance for the regulation of penile function. This type of sGC activators represent a new class of compounds with a different pharmacological profile in comparison to the classical NO-donors and they could be beneficial for the treatment of male erectile dysfunction.

2'-hydroxychalcone inhibits nuclear factor-kappaB and blocks tumor necrosis factor-alpha- and lipopolysaccharide-induced adhesion of neutrophils to human umbilical vein endothelial cells

Inhibition of expression of cell adhesion molecules (CAM), including intercellular CAM-1 (ICAM-1), vascular CAM-1 (VCAM-1), and E-selectin, has been shown to be important in controlling various inflammatory diseases. The cell adhesion proteins are induced by various inflammatory cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin-1, and bacterial lipopolysaccharide. The induction process primarily takes place at the level of transcription, where nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) plays a major role. We demonstrate here that 2'-hydroxychalcone inhibits the adhesion of peripheral neutrophils to the endothelial cell monolayers by inhibiting the expression of ICAM-1, VCAM-1, and E-selectin in a concentration-dependent manner. The inhibition by 2'-hydroxychalcone is reversible. 2'-hydroxychalcone inhibits the induction of steady-state transcript levels of ICAM-1, VCAM-1, and E-selectin by tumor necrosis factor-alpha as determined by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, and therefore it may interfere with the transcription of their genes. Because NF-kappaB is a major transcription factor involved in CAM expression, we studied its status in the 2'-hydroxychalcone treated cells. We demonstrate that 2'-hydroxychalcone inhibits the activation of NF-kappaB. These results have implications for using NF-kappaB inhibitors for the treatment of various inflammatory diseases.