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2026 Vol.39, Issue 3
Anti-inflammatory Effects of Fermented Mulberry Fruit on Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-Induced Inflammation in RAW 264.7 Cells
Sungsun Kim12
,
Sa‐Haeng Kang2
,
Ju-Ryoun So3
,
Hoonsung Choi3
,
Jeong‐Hyang Park2
,
Dong‐Keun Kim24
,
Ji Hae Lee5
,
Yeong Hee Cho5
,
Jong‐Sik Jin26
1Graduate Student, Department of Lifestyle Medicine, Jeonbuk National University, Iksan 54596, Korea
2Post-doc, Department of Oriental Medicine Resources, Jeonbuk National University, Iksan 54596, Korea
3Post-doc, LED Agri-Bio Fusion Technology Research Center, Jeonbuk National University, Iksan 54596, Korea
4Graduate Student, Department of Pharmacy, Jeonbuk National University, Jeonju 54907, Korea
5Researcher, Department of Agricultural Biology, National Institute of Agricultural Sciences, RDA, Wanju 55365, Korea
6Professor, JINSEED, Ltd., Iksan 54594, Korea
*Corresponding Author
1 June 2026. pp. 121-131
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Abstract

The fruit of Morus alba L. is rich in bioactive compounds with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties; however, the biological effects of its fermented extract have not been fully elucidated. This study investigated the effects of fermentation on the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of mulberry fruit extract (ME). Mulberry fruit was fermented using Lactiplantibacillus plantarum (LP), Lacticaseibacillus casei (LC), and Bifidobacterium bifidum (BB), and the resulting fermented extract (MFE) was compared with non-fermented extract. Cell viability was evaluated by MTT assay in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages, and neither ME nor MFE exhibited cytotoxicity. Antioxidant activity was assessed using the DPPH radical scavenging assay, in which MFE showed higher antioxidant capacity than ME. To evaluate anti-inflammatory activity, nitric oxide (NO) production was measured in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. MFE significantly and dose-dependently suppressed NO production compared with ME. These results indicate that fermentation enhances the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of mulberry fruit extract and suggests its potential as a value-added functional plant resource.

Keywords
Anti-inflammatory
Fermentation
Lactiplantibacillus plantarum
Ripe mulberries
Semi ripe mulberries
Unripe mulberries
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Information
  • Publisher :The Plant Resources Society of Korea
  • Publisher(Ko) :한국자원식물학회
  • Journal Title :Korean Journal of Plant Resources
  • Journal Title(Ko) :한국자원식물학회지
  • Volume : 39
  • No :3
  • Pages :121-131
  • Received Date : 2025-12-08
  • Revised Date : 2026-02-24
  • Accepted Date : 2026-02-24
  • DOI :https://doi.org/10.7732/kjpr.2026.39.3.121
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