Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) is considered a molecular antiinflammatory
regulator. HO-1 is an inducible isoform that responds
to stress, such as oxidative stress, hypoxia, and cytokines.
HO-1 possesses potent anti-inflammatory properties by reducing
the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and stimulating the production of anti-inflammatory cytokines (Otterbein et al.,
2003; Paine et al., 2010). In addition, increased HO-1 activity reduces
LPS-induced NO production and iNOS gene expression (Park
et al., 2012; Tsoyi et al., 2008). Therefore, numerous researchers
have focused on identifying natural compounds that induce HO-1
activity to treat inflammatory diseases.