孜然是西北地区特有的经济作物，具有抗氧化和抗炎症活性。本项目利用分子生物学技术探讨孜然精油抗炎活性的作用机制，以C57BL/6小鼠及其原代巨噬细胞为模型，研究孜然精油对不同TLRs配体诱导的炎症应答的保护性功能，测定前炎症因子TNFα、IL-1β以及IL-6，抗炎症因子TGFβ和IL-10以及炎症过程关键酶蛋白Cox-2和iNOS的表达活性，并对孜然精油抗炎过程中机体免疫细胞进行分型鉴定。明确孜然精油对TLRs信号通路及其组分功能的影响和分子机制，以及对机体免疫系统功能的调节作用。本研究首次对孜然精油的抗炎活性的分子机制进行研究，所得结果将为孜然产品的开发提供理论依据。同时，也可以扩大孜然的应用范围，提高其经济效益。

Cumin (Cuminum cyminum L.) is a special economic crop in Northwest China. Preliminary data show that cumin essential oil have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity. The goal of our project is to understand molecular mechanism of anti-inflammatory activity of cumin essential oil by using modern biological method. We will explore productivity function of cumin essential oil to organism form damage in inflammation response from different TLRs ligand stimulation. C57BL/6 mice and its primary macrophage cell will be used as study object in this project. The expression level of pro-inflammatory cytokines TNFα, IL-1β and IL-6, anti-inflammatory cytokines TGFβ and IL-10 and key oxidase in inflammation response Cox-2 and iNOS will be examined. In addition, we will further evaluate the percentages of different immune cell subgroups in the spleen and peripheral blood of mice with cumin essential oil treatment. In this project, influence of cumin essential oil on components function of TLRs pathway will be observed. The mechanism of cumin essential oil modulated immune system will be clarified. It is the first time to explain how cumin essential oil exhibits anti-inflammatory activity. Our result can provide data and theoretical basis of how to develop cumin essential oil production. It will expand the application and increase the economic benefit of Cumin.