Fig. 4
Inhibitory effects of T. carbonaria cerumen on the pro-inflammatory 5-LOX-LTB4 signaling pathway in vitro (mean ± SEM). A methanolic cerumen extract dose-dependently inhibited the 5-LOX-mediated oxidation of linoleic acid (a), through reduced Vmax and increased Km (b; P < 0.05; n = 3). The extract additionally inhibited LTB4 production in human neutrophils stimulated with 2 μM ionomycin (c; n = 4). Following multi-solvent extraction, the methanol-water cerumen extract inhibited 5-LOX activity with greater potency than the first and second hexane extracts (a; P < 0.05; n = 3)