Abstract
Neutrophilic inflammatory diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), or psoriasis, exert a huge burden on the global health system due to the lack of safe and effective treatments. Volatile oils from terrestrial plants showed impressive therapeutic effects against disorders of the skin, digestive system, lungs, liver, metabolism, and nervous system. However, their effect on the immune system and neutrophil function is still elusive. Fennel, cumin, marjoram, lavender, caraway, and anise are the common nutraceuticals that are widely used in the Mediterranean diet. The volatile oils of these herbs were screened for various biological activities, including anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic, antimicrobial, and antiviral effects. Several oils showed anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial potential. Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) and cumin (Cuminum cyminum) fruits' volatile oils significantly suppressed the activation of human neutrophils, including respiratory burst and the degranulation induced by formyl peptide receptor agonists fMLF/CB and MMK1 in the human neutrophils (IC50, 3.8–17.2 µg/ml). The cytotoxic effect and free-radical scavenging effects (ABTS, DPPH) of these oils did not account for the observed effects. Both fennel and cumin volatile oils significantly shortened calcium influx recovery time and inhibited phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinases (p38, JNK, and ERK) expression. The gas chromatography–mass spectrometry analysis of these oils revealed the presence of estragole and cuminaldehyde as the major components of fennel and cumin volatile oils, respectively. Our findings suggested that cumin and fennel, common in the Mediterranean diet, hold the potential to be applied for the treatment of neutrophilic inflammatory diseases.
Highlights
The World Health Organization reported that more than three billion human beings depend on traditional remedies, such as herbal drugs and related products, for their primary health care
The anti-allergic assay depends on the release of β-hexosaminidase from the granules in RBL-2H3 cells induced by calcium ionophore (A23187) or antigen
Both volatile oils (30–300 μg/ml) demonstrated no (DPPH) to very weak (ABTS) antioxidant activity when compared with α-tocopherol, the positive control. These results indicate that FEN and CUMIN exhibited an inhibitory effect on respiratory burst and degranulation function of neutrophils but did not exert superoxide- and radicalscavenging or ligand–enzyme interaction effects
Summary
The World Health Organization reported that more than three billion human beings depend on traditional remedies, such as herbal drugs and related products, for their primary health care. Many preclinical studies documented the antitumor, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antibacterial properties of volatile oils in several animal models and bioassays (De, 2004; Edris, 2007; Saviuc et al, 2015; SharifiRad et al, 2017). Volatile oils are known for their antioxidant activity due to their free radical scavenging ability. This activity supports their use in food preservation and for the management of many ailments, such as cancers, and neurodegenerative, cardiovascular, and immune system diseases (Pourmortazavi and Hajimirsadeghi, 2007). Volatile oils possess significant antiseptic, antibacterial, antiviral, anti-parasitic, antifungal, and insecticidal activities (Burt, 2004). Volatile oils are widely used as antimicrobial agents with a high safety index and potent activity against a wide array of pathogenic microorganisms
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