Pterostilbene inhibited advanced glycation end products (AGEs)-induced oxidative stress and inflammation by regulation of RAGE/MAPK/NF-κB in RAW264.7 cells

Pterostilbene is a natural stilbene compound found in blueberries. It has been found to show anticancer, anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative effects. However, little is known about its relationship with AGEs-induced oxidative stress and inflammation. In this study, we examined the inhibitory effect of pterostilbene on AGEs-induced damage using RAW264.7 cells. Pterostilbene was found to significantly suppress ROS production, mRNA expression of NADPH oxidase, and carbonyl levels of proteins and AOPP, which are related to oxidative stress. In addition, pterostilbene significantly reduced gene expression of inflammatory mediators, including TNF-alpha, IL-18 and IL-6. Further analysis showed that pterostilbene inhibited AGEs-induced RAGE up-regulation, but showed no effect on CD36. Moreover, it reduced NF-kappa B phosphorylation and MAPKs activation, including p38 and ERK1/2 induced by AGEs. Thus our results indicated that pterostilbene might act as a promising agent to alleviate AGEs-induced oxidative stress and inflammation via RAGE/MAPK/NF-kappa B pathway.