RESUMEN
There is an increasing interest in natural products and their derivatives with therapeutic benefits and less side effects compared to steroid therapy. Benzofuran derivatives display biological effects including anti-inflammatory effects. The present study aims to investigate whether (3-(7-methoxy-2-p-tolyl benzofuran-5-yl) propan-1-ol) (DK-1108), new synthetic benzofuran compound exerts anti-asthmatic effects in vitro and in vivo. DK-1108 strongly reduced the production of inflammatory mediators, cytokines and chemokines in RAW264.7 and A549 cells. DK-1108 significantly regulated the levels of AKT/MAPKs/c-Jun activation, AP-1 luciferase activity and ICAM-1 expression. Furthermore, DK-1108 effectively suppressed the adhesion of A549 and EOL-1 cells. In OVA-induced asthmatic mice, DK-1108 decreased the levels of IL-5/IL-13/IgE production, eosinophils/macrophages influx, ICAM-1/MCP-1 expression, mucus secretion and airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR). These effects of DK-1108 were accompanied by downregulation of MAPKs activation. Therefore, we suggest that DK-1108 exerts protective effect against airway inflammation and mucus overproduction, and therefore could be valuable therapeutic agent for treatment in asthma.
