Shrimp anti-lipopolysaccharide factor (SALF), an antimicrobial peptide, inhibits proinflammatory cytokine expressions through the MAPK and NF-κB pathways in LPS-induced HeLa cells.

Recently, an antimicrobial peptide (AMP), the shrimp anti-lipopolysaccharide factor (SALF), was shown to act against vaginal pathogens as demonstrated by a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) assay and suggested that the SALF might play a protective role in orchestrating various defensive responses. The demonstration of a protective role of the SALF in cervical cancer epithelial cells (HeLa cells) led us to investigate the anti-inflammatory effects of the SALF by determining its inhibitory effects on proinflammatory markers in LPS-stimulated cervical cancer HeLa cells. The SALF was shown to inhibit the production of inflammatory cytokines including tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, IL-1α, and monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP)-1 according to an ELISA analysis. The SALF also suppressed mRNA levels of il-6, il-8, il-1α, and mcp-1 according to an RT-PCR. We also found that the SALF might regulate vaginal epithelial cell immune responses through the MAPK and NF-κB pathways. These findings suggest that the SALF is a potential drug candidate for treating chronic inflammatory diseases, such as urethritis, vaginitis, cervicitis, and pelvic inflammatory diseases.