RESUMO
Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a highly prevalent allergic disease induced by immunoglobulin (Ig) E-mediated hypersensitivity reaction at the nasal epithelium against inhaled allergens. Previous studies have demonstrated that Pentaherbs formula (PHF), a modified herbal formula comprising five herbal medicines (Flos Lonicerae, Herba Menthae, Cortex Phellodendri, Cortex Moutan and Rhizoma Atractylodis), could suppress various immune effector cells to exert anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic effects in allergic asthma and atopic dermatitis. The present study aimed to further determine the anti-inflammatory activities of PHF in an ovalbumin (OVA)-induced AR BALB/c mouse model. Nasal symptoms such as sneezing and nose rubbing were recorded and the serum total IgE and OVA-specific IgG1, as well as interleukin (IL)-4, IL-5, IL-10, IL-13, chemokines CXCL9 CXCL10, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α concentrations in nasal lavage fluid (NALF) were measured during different treatments. Effects of PHF on the expression of inflammatory mediators in the sinonasal mucosa were quantified using real-time QPCR. PHF was found to suppress allergic symptoms, infiltration of inflammatory cells, and hyperplasia of goblet cells in the nasal epithelium of the OVA-induced AR mice. PHF could reduce OVA-specific IgG1 level in serum, and TNF-α and IL-10 in nasal lavage fluid (NALF), significantly up-regulate the splenic regulatory T (Treg) cell level, increase the Type 1 helper T cell (Th1)/Type 2 helper T cell (Th2) ratio, and reduce the Th17 cells (all p < 0.05). PHF could also alleviate in situ inflammation in sinonasal mucosa of OVA-induced AR mice. In conclusion, oral treatment of PHF showed immuno-modulatory activities in the OVA-induced AR mice by regulating the splenic T cell population to suppress the nasal allergy symptoms and modulating inflammatory mediators, implicating that PHF could be a therapeutic strategy for allergic rhinitis.
Assuntos
Anti-Inflamatórios/farmacologia , Fatores Imunológicos/farmacologia , Ativação Linfocitária/efeitos dos fármacos , Extratos Vegetais/farmacologia , Plantas Medicinais/química , Subpopulações de Linfócitos T/efeitos dos fármacos , Subpopulações de Linfócitos T/imunologia , Alérgenos/imunologia , Animais , Anti-Inflamatórios/química , Citocinas/metabolismo , Modelos Animais de Doenças , Medicina Herbária , Fatores Imunológicos/química , Imunomodulação/efeitos dos fármacos , Camundongos , Líquido da Lavagem Nasal/imunologia , Mucosa Nasal/efeitos dos fármacos , Mucosa Nasal/imunologia , Mucosa Nasal/metabolismo , Ovalbumina/administração & dosagem , Extratos Vegetais/química , Rinite Alérgica/tratamento farmacológico , Rinite Alérgica/etiologia , Rinite Alérgica/patologia , Baço/efeitos dos fármacos , Baço/imunologia , Baço/metabolismo , Subpopulações de Linfócitos T/metabolismo , Linfócitos T Reguladores/efeitos dos fármacos , Linfócitos T Reguladores/imunologia , Linfócitos T Reguladores/metabolismo , Células Th2/efeitos dos fármacos , Células Th2/imunologia , Células Th2/metabolismoRESUMO
Tuberculosis (TB), a highly infectious air-borne disease, has remained a global health problem. Conventional treatment and preventions such as antibiotics and Bacilli Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine can be unreliable. In view of the increasing prevalence of anti-TB drug resistance, adjunctive therapy may be necessary to shorten the recovery time. We have previously shown that flavonoids in the medicinal herb Sophora flavescens exhibit anti-inflammatory and bactericidal activities. The aim of this study was to investigate the molecular and cellular characteristics of flavonoids of S. flavescens (FSF) in BCG-stimulated macrophages for assessing their roles in anti-inflammation and autophagy. Mouse alveolar macrophage (MH-S) cell line and primary mouse peritoneal macrophages were stimulated in vitro with heat-inactivated BCG and treated with FSF, with or without autophagy inhibitor Bafilomycin A1 (BafA1). Gene expression was analyzed using quantitative PCR, and cytokine/chemokine release was analyzed by Milliplex assay and ELISA. Autophagy-related proteins were quantified by Western blot and flow cytometry, and autophagolysosomes were detected using fluorescence microscopy. In both MH-S cell line and mouse peritoneal macrophages stimulated by heat-inactivated BCG, FSF was found to up-regulate autophagy-related proteins microtubule-associated protein 1A/1B-light chain 3 (LC3) and protein 62 (p62), and suppress the induced proinflammatory cytokine TNF-α, CCL5, and IL-6. FSF actively modulates immune processes through suppressing BCG-mediated inflammation by promoting autophagy in MH-S cells and mouse peritoneal macrophages. We suggest that FSF may be useful as an adjunctive therapeutic agent for TB infection by modulating cell survival through autophagy and reducing inflammation.