Objectives: Carnosic acid (CA), which is one of bioactive compounds from rosemary, has various biological activities. However, the effect of CA on periodontal ligament cells is still uncertain. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of CA on inflammatory cytokines production in human periodontal ligament cells.

Methods: Cytokine and chemokine levels were measured by ELISA. Activations of signal transduction pathway were determined by Western blotting.

Results: Treatment of CA decreased inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin (IL)-6, CXC chemokine ligand (CXCL)10, CC chemokine ligand (CCL)2, and CCL20 productions in IL-1β or tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α-stimulated human periodontal ligament cells in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, we found that CA could suppress Jun-N-terminal kinase (JNK) pathway, nuclear factor (NF)-κB pathway and signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT)3 pathway activation in IL-1β or TNF-α-stimulated human periodontal ligament cells.

Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that CA has anti-inflammatory effects in human periodontal ligament cells by inhibiting JNK, NF-κB and STAT3 pathways.

目的：肌酸（CA）是迷迭香的一种生物活性化合物，具有多种生物活性。然而，CA对牙周膜细胞的作用仍不确定。这项研究的目的是检查CA对人牙周膜细胞中炎性细胞因子产生的影响。

方法：采用ELISA法检测细胞因子和趋化因子水平。通过Western印迹确定信号转导途径的激活。

结果：CA的治疗降低了炎性细胞因子，例如白介素-1（IL-1β）或肿瘤坏死因子（TNF）-α-以剂量依赖性方式刺激人牙周膜细胞。此外，我们发现CA可以抑制IL-1β或TNF-α刺激的Jun-N-末端激酶（JNK）途径，核因子（NF）-κB途径以及信号转导和转录激活因子（STAT）3途径的激活。人牙周膜细胞。

结论：本研究结果表明，CA通过抑制JNK，NF-κB和STAT3途径对人牙周膜细胞具有抗炎作用。