title: Xanthii Fructus inhibits allergic response in the ovalbumin-sensitized mouse allergic rhinitis model.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Xanthii Fructus (XF) is widely used in traditional anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory Asian medicine. Allergic rhinitis is a common inflammatory disease characterized by markedly increased levels of anti-inflammatory factors and the recruitment of inflammatory cells into the nasal mucosa. We investigated the effects of XF in the allergen-induced rhinitis model.
  
  
  METHODS
  Following ovalbumin (OVA)/alum intraperitoneal injection on days 0, 7 and 14, the BALB/c mice (albino, laboratory-bred strain of the house mice) were challenged intranasally with OVA for 10 days a week after the last sensitization. The number of sneezes was recorded for 10 days; additionally, the levels of cytokines, histamine, immunoglobulin E (IgE) and OVA-specific serum IgE were estimated. Eosinophil infiltration, thickness of nasal mucosa and expression of caspase-1 were determined by immunohistochemistry. We also evaluated the effect of XF on the phosphorylation of nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) and inhibitor of nuclear factor kappa B-alpha (IκB-α) in human mast cell-1 (HMC-1), by Western blotting.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The administration of XF significantly decreased sneezing and the serum levels of histamine, IgE, OVA-specific IgE, and cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukine-1 beta (IL-1β), IL-5, IL-6, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) and macrophage inflammatory protein-2 (MIP-2). XF inhibited the changes in thickness of the nasal septum, influx of eosinophils and expression of capase-1. In addition, XF inhibited the phosphorylation of IκB-α and NF-κB in phorbol-myristate-acetate plus calcium ionophore A23187 (A23187) stimulated HMC-1.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study suggests that XF acts a potent anti-allergic drug which alleviates the allergic responses in ovalbumin-sensitized mouse allergic rhinitis model.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, College of Korean Medicine, Institute of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Nam-Gil
authors.initials: NG
authors.lastname: Gwak
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, College of Korean Medicine, Institute of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Eun-Young
authors.initials: EY
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, College of Korean Medicine, Institute of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Bina
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, College of Korean Medicine, Institute of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Jae-Hyun
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, College of Korean Medicine, Institute of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Yong-Seok
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Im
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, College of Korean Medicine, Institute of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Ka-Yeon
authors.initials: KY
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, College of Korean Medicine, Institute of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Chang
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Jun-Kum
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, College of Korean Medicine, Institute of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Ho-Seok
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, College of Korean Medicine, Institute of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Hyun-Joo
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, College of Korean Medicine, Institute of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Hyuk-Sang
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, College of Korean Medicine, Institute of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Youngjoo
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sohn
keywords: Allergic rhinitis; Xanthii Fructus; histamine; immunoglobulin E; nasal symptom; nuclear factor kappa-B