Table 1.

Suggested Pathways for Anti-Inflammatory Activity of Some Natural Furans

Furan Derivatives	Source	Effect	Ref.
Benzofurans	Some trees (mulberry tree) and plants	Suppress O2 production by neutrophils Inhibit nitric oxide (NO) production Modify MAPK pathways and PPAR-ɣ gene expression	[21,25,35]
Furan fatty acids	Fishes, Grasses, Wheat, Potato, Soya bean oils	Hydroxyl radical scavengers Antioxidant activity Decrease mitochondrial dysfunction	[42,43,45]
Furanocoumarin	Fruits (lemon peel, grapefruit), Vegetables (parsleys, celery)	Protect against lipid peroxidation Inhibition of cyclooxygenase and lipoxygenase Reinforcing enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants	[46,53,56,59]
Agarofurans	Some fruits and seeds	Chelation of the transition metal ions Down-regulation of NF-κB gene expression	[73,80,81]
Furanones	Some sea organisms, pineapple, mushroom	Inhibit activation of NF-κB and MAPKs pathways Superoxide anion scavengers Inhibit peroxidation	[94, 96, 97]