本研究旨在探討蓮子心補充對急性系統性發炎之預防作用，實驗進行先對BALB/c雌鼠管餵不同劑量蓮子心粉三週，再以脂多醣（10 mg LPS/kgbody weight）對小鼠進行腹腔注射，以誘發小鼠急性全身性發炎，二十四小時後犧牲小鼠，收集其血清及腹腔巨噬細胞進行培養，測量血清及腹腔巨噬細胞培養液中發炎媒介物的變化，以評估蓮子心之抗發炎作用。實驗結果顯示，高劑量補充蓮子心粉（20 mg/day/mouse），顯著降低脂多醣刺激小鼠血清中促發炎媒介物，腫瘤壞死因子-α（Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α）之含量。腹腔細胞培養結果發現，補充蓮子心組，顯著促進巨噬細胞抗發炎細胞激素IL-10之分泌。綜合本研究結果顯示，預先補充蓮子心，對脂多醣誘發全身性發炎的小鼠有降低血清中促發炎細胞激素TNF-α之作用，及促進腹腔巨噬細胞分泌抗發炎細胞激素IL-10，顯示在全身系統性發炎之前，短期補充蓮子心可有效減緩體內急性發炎之狀況。

To determine the prophylactic effects of lotus plumule (Nelumbo nucifera Geartn.) supplementation in vivo on acute systemic inflammation, the mediators secreted in serum and by cultured peritoneal macrophages from the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-challenged mice were measured. The female BALB/c mice were continuously supplemented with lotus plumule for 3 weeks and then administrated with an intra-peritoneal (i.p.) LPS injection at a concentration of 10 mg/kg body weight (BW) to induce acute systemic inflammation. After 24 hours of LPS injection, the mice were sacrificed to determine the inflammatory mediators. The results showed that high dose supplementation (20 mg/day/mouse) with lotus plumule significantly (P aa 0.05) decreased the pro-inflammatory cytokine of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) level in the serum of LPS-challenged mice. Simultaneously, supplementation with lotus plumule significantly increased the levels of anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 produced by peritoneal macrophages from LPS-challenged mice. The results indicated that lotus plumule supplementation significantly inhibited the production of pro-inflammatory cytokine TNF-α and increased that of anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10. It can be concluded that lotus plumule supplementation before systemic inflammation attenuates the acute inflammation status in vivo.