title: Effects of lactose-beta-sitosterol and beta-sitosterol on ovalbumin-induced lung inflammation in actively sensitized mice.
abstract: Asthma is a disease marked by chronic lung inflammation and the number of patients suffering from asthma increases annually. Both beta-sitosterol (BS) and beta-sitosterol glucoside exist in a variety of plants and have anti-tumor, anti-microbial, and immunomodulatory activities. However, the precise role of BS and beta-sitosterol glucoside in asthma has not been well understood. The aim of this study was to investigate the inhibitory effects of BS and lactose-BS (L-BS) on the pathophysiological process in ovalbumin-induced asthmatic mice. The total cells and eosinophils in the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid markedly decreased (p<0.05) after L-BS or BS administration (1 mg/kg; i.p.), and the ROS production also decreased in comparison to the asthma control. Histopathological features were detected by performing histochemistry, including H&E and alcian blue & P.A.S staining. Both L-BS and BS mitigated the inflammation by eosinophil infiltration and mucus hypersecretion by goblet hyperplasia. These effects of L-BS were superior to those of BS. L-BS and BS inhibited the increased mRNA and protein expression of IL-4 and IL-5 in the lung tissue and BAL fluid, respectively. The IgE concentration in the BAL fluid and serum was measured by performing ELISA and the ovalbumin-specific IgE in the BAL fluid was uniquely inhibited by L-BS (p<0.05). The splenocytes were isolated from the normal and asthmatic mice and incubated in the absence and presence of 100 microg/ml ovalbumin, respectively. L-BS blocked the survival rate of the splenocytes of the mice (p<0.01). This finding indicates the possibility of L-BS and BS as potential therapeutic molecules in asthma and may contribute to the need to improve current therapeutic drugs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Laboratory Science, School of Medicine, Eulji University, Daejeon 301-832, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Ji Eun
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Yuk
authors.forename: Jin Suk
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Woo
authors.forename: Chi-Young
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Yun
authors.forename: Ji-Sook
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Joo-Hwan
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Gyu-Yong
authors.initials: GY
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Eun Ju
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: In Kang
authors.initials: IK
authors.lastname: Hur
authors.forename: In Sik
authors.initials: IS
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001249:Asthma / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D001992:Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / Q000737:chemistry / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D004804:Eosinophils / Q000166:cytology; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000187:drug effects; D006027:Glycosides / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism; D018793:Interleukin-13 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D015848:Interleukin-5 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D007785:Lactose / Q000737:chemistry; D007962:Leukocytes / Q000166:cytology; D008168:Lung / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D015394:Molecular Structure; D010047:Ovalbumin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000276:immunology; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012855:Sitosterols / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014611:Vaccination
chemical_list: D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents; D006027:Glycosides; D018793:Interleukin-13; D015848:Interleukin-5; D012855:Sitosterols; D015847:Interleukin-4; D007073:Immunoglobulin E; C025473:gamma-sitosterol; D010047:Ovalbumin; D007785:Lactose