Aloin is a mixture of aloin A and aloin B , anthraquinones found in Aloe vera, and has diverse biological activities. It reduces IL-6 and TNF-α expression as well as nitric oxide (NO) production and COX-2 and inducible NO synthase (iNOS) expression in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells when used at concentrations ranging from 100 to 400 mM. Aloin inhibits LPS-induced p65 acetylation, nuclear translocation of NF-kB, and apoptosis in RAW 264.7 cells. It reduces motility of T. congolense in vitro and reduces the number of parasites in T. congolense-infected mice when administered at a dose of 400 mg/kg. Aloin (50 and 100 mg/kg) also reduces activity of glutathione peroxidase (GPX), glutathione-S-transferase (GST), and glutathione reductase (GR), the level of colonic malondialdehyde (MDA), and the number of aberrant crypt foci and mucin-depleted foci in a rat model of 1,2-dimethylhydrazine-induced colon cancer.
