Identification of 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) as an Active Component Citrus Jabara That Suppresses FcεRI-Mediated Mast Cell Activation.

Ryota Uchida,Keigo Nishida,Hiroko Kikuchi,Michiko Kato,Yuka Hattori,Emi Watanabe,Katsuumi Kobayashi

doi:10.3390/ijms21072472

Abstract

Jabara (Citrus jabara Hort. ex Y. Tanaka) is a type of citrus fruit known for its beneficial effect against seasonal allergies. Jabara is rich in the antioxidant narirutin whose anti-allergy effect has been demonstrated. One of the disadvantages in consuming Jabara is its bitter flavor. Therefore, we fermented the fruit to reduce the bitterness and make Jabara easy to consume. Here, we examined whether fermentation alters the anti-allergic property of Jabara. Suppression of degranulation and cytokine production was observed in mast cells treated with fermented Jabara and the effect was dependent on the length of fermentation. We also showed that 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) increases as fermentation progresses and was identified as an active component of fermented Jabara, which inhibited mast cell degranulation. Mast cells treated with 5-HMF also exhibited reduced degranulation and cytokine production. In addition, we showed that the expression levels of phospho-PLCγ1 and phospho-ERK1/2 were markedly reduced upon FcεRI stimulation. These results indicate that 5-HMF is one of the active components of fermented Jabara that is involved in the inhibition of mast cell activation.

Highlights

Millions of people who react to airborne allergens such as pollens suffer from symptoms including rhinitis, atopic dermatitis, and asthma, which could reduce the patients’ quality of life
No significant change in the cell viability was observed after 6-h exposure to Jabara extracts (Figure S1). These data suggest that inhibition of mast cell degranulation and cytokine production induced by antigen stimulation is not due to cytotoxic effect of Jabara extracts
We showed that β-hexosaminidase release was significantly decreased in mast cells treated with fermented Jabara, and the effect was enhanced as the fermentation period increased

Summary

Introduction

Millions of people who react to airborne allergens such as pollens suffer from symptoms including rhinitis, atopic dermatitis, and asthma, which could reduce the patients’ quality of life These allergic symptoms are induced by the activation of inflammatory cells such as mast cells [1,2,3]. Stimulation of IgE-sensitized mast cells with a specific antigen results in a cascade of events leading to the secretion and production of proinflammatory molecules such as histamine, lipid mediators and cytokines [4,5]. These secreted molecules play critical roles in the inflammatory reactions in patients with allergic diseases. While there are many anti-allergy medications on the market, more effective and safer drugs are still being sought

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Results

Conclusion