%0 Journal Article %T Protection against LPS-induced cartilage inflammation and degradation provided by a biological extract of Mentha spicata %A Wendy Pearson %A Ronald S Fletcher %A Laima S Kott %A Mark B Hurtig %J BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine %D 2010 %I BioMed Central %R 10.1186/1472-6882-10-19 %X HRAM and CM were incubated in simulated gastric and intestinal fluid, liver microsomes (from male rat) and NADPH. Concentrations of RA, CA, CO, and FA in simulated digest of HRAM (HRAMsim) and CM (CMsim) were determined (HPLC) and compared with concentrations in aqueous extracts of HRAM and CM. Cartilage explants (porcine) were cultured with LPS (0 or 3 ¦Ìg/mL) and test article [HRAMsim (0, 8, 40, 80, 240, or 400 ¦Ìg/mL), or CMsim (0, 1, 5 or 10 mg/mL), or RA (0.640 ¦Ìg/mL), or CA (0.384 ¦Ìg/mL), or CO (0.057 ¦Ìg/mL) or FA (0.038 ¦Ìg/mL)] for 96 h. Media samples were analyzed for prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), interleukin 1¦Â (IL-1), glycosaminoglycan (GAG), nitric oxide (NO) and cell viability (differential live-dead cell staining).RA concentration of HRAMsim and CMsim was 49.3 and 0.4 ¦Ìg/mL, respectively. CA, FA and CO were identified in HRAMsim but not in aqueous extract of HRAM. HRAMsim (¡Ý 8 ¦Ìg/mL) inhibited LPS-induced PGE2 and NO; HRAMsim (¡Ý 80 ¦Ìg/mL) inhibited LPS-induced GAG release. RA inhibited LPS-induced GAG release. No anti-inflammatory or chondroprotective effects of RA metabolites on cartilage explants were identified.Our biological extraction procedure produces a substance which is similar in composition to post-hepatic products. HRAMsim is an effective inhibitor of LPS-induced inflammation in cartilage explants, and effects are primarily independent of RA. Further research is needed to identify bioactive phytochemical(s) in HRAMsim.Rosmarinic acid (RA; C18H16O8) is a polyphenolic carboxylic acid found in many herbal plants including rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), oregano (Origanum vulgare) and mint (commonly Mentha spicata or Mentha ¡Á piperita). RA has widely reported biological activities in mammals and mammalian cells including antioxidant [1], anti-inflammatory [2], antitumor [3,4], immunomodulatory [5], antiviral [4] and antibacterial [6]. There is considerable scientific support for an anti-inflammatory role for RA. It has shown significant inhibitory e %U http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6882/10/19