Effects of Propolis on the Ovalbumin-Induced Allergic Asthma in Mice

Abstract

Objective : Propolis (PP) has been used in oriental medicine. PP has various biological activities. However, its immunoregulatory and anti-inflammatory activities have not been well studied. In this study, I investigated these activities of PP by using ovalbumin-induced allergic asthma in mice. Methods : To examine the effect of PP on allergic asthma, mice were sensitized with of OVA and 1mg of aluminum potasssium sulfate (Alum; Sigma) intraperitoneally on day 0 and 7. On day 14, mice were challenged on consecutive 3 days with 5% OVA and AHR was assessed 24 hours after the last challenge. To examine severity of AHR, I examined the population of eosinophiles and T cells in spleen and lung and cytokine production in T cells. Futhermore, I examined histological changes during the OVA-induced allergic asthma. Results and Conclusion : PP reduced the population of eosinophil and CD4+ T cells on the OVA-induced AHR mice model. PP also inhibited IL-4 production but increased INF-g production in T cells. These results suggest that PP may be beneficial material for allergic asthma.