Perilla frutescens (L.) Britt. leaves contain many published bioactive compounds. In this study, caffeic acid (CA) was isolated from Perilla frutescens (L.) Britt. leaves were demonstrated to have anti-inflammatory properties through zymosan in Raw 264.7. CA was evaluated by HPLC. TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1β, and IL-10 stimulated by zymosan were significantly inhibited by pretreatment with CA (40 µg/mL, P < 0.001), but not IL-10 (anti-inflammatory cytokine) in macrophages. The zymosan-induced phosphorylation of p38 and ERK1/2 in macrophages was inhibited by CA (40 µg/mL). Furthermore, zymosan-mediated superoxide production, as well as NADPH oxidase activity in Raw 264.7 were inhibited by CA (40 µg/mL, P < 0.001). The data suggest that zymosan-induced excessive inflammation can be controlled by CA through the inhibition of ROS and NADPH oxidase.
