| Summary: | The chemical profiling of phenolic and terpenoid compounds in whole cardamom, skin, and seeds (<i>Elettaria cardamomum</i> (L.) Maton) showed 11 phenolics and 16 terpenoids, many of which are reported for the first time. Herein, we report the anti-inflammatory properties of a methanolic extract of whole cardamom in colon and macrophage cells stimulated with an inflammatory bacteria lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The results show that cardamom extracts lowered the expression of pro-inflammatory genes <i>NFkβ</i>, <i>TNFα</i>, <i>IL-6</i>, and <i>COX2</i> in colon cells by reducing reactive oxygen species (ROS) while not affecting <i>LXRα</i>. In macrophages, cardamom extracts lowered the expression of pro-inflammatory genes <i>NFkβ</i>, <i>TNFα</i>, <i>IL-6</i>, and <i>COX2</i> and decreased NO levels through a reduction in ROS and enhanced gene expression of nuclear receptors <i>LXRα</i> and <i>PPARγ.</i> The cardamom extracts in a range of 200–800 μg/mL did not show toxicity effects in colon or macrophage cells. The whole-cardamom methanolic extracts contained high levels of phenolics compounds (e.g., protocatechuic acid, caffeic acid, syringic acid, and 5-O-caffeoylquinic acid, among others) and are likely responsible for the anti-inflammatory and multifunctional effects observed in this study. The generated information suggests that cardamom may play a protective role against low-grade inflammation that can be the basis of future in vivo studies using mice models of inflammation and associated chronic diseases.
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