Assessment of steviol on pro-inflammatory cytokines release in human CD14+ cells

Steviol is a major metabolite of stevioside which is a natural noncaloric sweetener. The aim of this present study was to investigate an inhibitory activity of steviol on pro-inflammatory cytokines release from lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated human CD14+ cells.  CD14+ cells were incubated with different concentrations of steviol in the absence or presence of LPS. TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 level were determined by using human enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits.  Steviol  at the concentration of 1-100 µM significantly inhibit (P<0.05) the release of TNF-α (966.0+66.0, 906.3+36.7 and 659.3+52.3 vs 1190.3+75.5 pg/ml) and IL-1β (2834.0+67.2, 2440.0+70.5 and 2181.3+143.3 vs 3226.7+106.6 pg/ml) in a dose dependent manner when compared to LPS-treated CD14+ cells.  While the inhibition of IL-6 (P<0.05) was found at 10 µM and 100 µM (2171.7+44.3 and 1902.3+58.0 vs 2580.3+105.2 pg/ml). In conclusion, steviol, a major metabolite of stevioside, possess an anti-inflammatory activity in human CD14+ cell.