Abstract
Venous insufficiency results from several factors responsible for the progression of inflammation and oxidative damage of veins. Recently, natural extracts have been proposed for the treatment of venous insufficiency, but their efficacies have not been fully elucidated. In the present study, we evaluate the combinatorial effects on anti-inflammatory and anti-vascular leakage potential of mixed compositions containing different proportions of Centella asiatica extract (CE) and Vitis vinifera L. leaf extract (VVE) using an inflammation model of lipopolysaccharide- (LPS-) stimulated RAW264.7 cells and various vascular permeability models in mice (acetic-acid-induced peritoneal vascular model, mustard-oil-stimulated ear vascular model, and carrageenan-induced paw edema model). Pretreatment of CE and VVE in a 1 : 3 combination dose dependently inhibited the production of nitric oxide (NO) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and mRNA expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) through downregulation of the nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) pathway in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 macrophages. In vascular permeability-related mouse models, pretreatment with the CE-VVE 1 : 3 combination significantly reduced the permeability of peritoneal or ear veins caused by acetic acid and mustard oil, respectively. Furthermore, pretreatment of the CE-VVE 1 : 3 combination ameliorated inflammation and edema of the hind paw caused by carrageenan injection. Thus, the combination of CE and VVE showed significant anti-inflammatory qualities and anti-vascular leakage effects. These findings indicate that an optimal combination of CE and VVE may have a more synergistic effect than that of CE or VVE alone as a putative agent against vascular incompetence.