Abstract
BackgroundAllergic diseases including allergic rhinitis, asthma, and atopic dermatitis are increasing worldwide. Common medications used to treat these inflammatory disorders are anti-histamines and corticosteroids, but they have their own limitations such as short duration and severe side effects. Thus, interest in complementary and alternative medicine is continually growing. Here, we investigate the anti-inflammatory mechanisms of Tonggyu-tang (TGT), a traditional Korean medicine that has been used to treat patients with allergic nasal disorders.MethodsWe measured mRNA expressions and production of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin (IL)-4, IL-6, IL-8 and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) by RT-PCR and ELISA assays in HMC-1 (human mast cell line-1) and HaCaT cells, immortalized human keratinocytes. Moreover, we evaluated the effect of TGT on two major inflammation-related pathways, mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) and NF-κB signaling pathway in these two cells.ResultsOur results revealed that that TGT significantly reduced the expression and production of inflammatory cytokines such as IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-α in the agonist-treated HMC-1 and HaCaT cells. We also found that TGT suppressed MAPK signaling pathway including extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38), and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) as well as NF-κB pathway, which are known to regulate inflammatory cytokine expression.ConclusionTaken together, our results demonstrate that TGT inhibits expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines by suppressing MAPK and NF-kB pathway in both mast cells and keratinocytes, suggesting the potential use of TGT in treating allergic inflammatory diseases.
Highlights
Allergic diseases including allergic rhinitis, asthma, and atopic dermatitis are increasing worldwide
Effect of TGT on expression and production of inflammatory cytokines in HMC-1 cells In order to examine the anti-inflammatory effects of TGT, we used the human mast cell line-1, HMC-1 cells, one of the most representative cells for studying inflammatory response
Effect of TGT on MAPK signaling pathway in HMC-1 cells To understand the molecular mechanism underlying the inhibitory effects of TGT on cytokine expression, we examined the mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway that is known to be closely related to allergy diseases by regulating the expressions of inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-α and IL-6 [17, 18]
Summary
Allergic diseases including allergic rhinitis, asthma, and atopic dermatitis are increasing worldwide. Common medications used to treat these inflammatory disorders are anti-histamines and corticosteroids, but they have their own limitations such as short duration and severe side effects. We investigate the anti-inflammatory mechanisms of Tonggyutang (TGT), a traditional Korean medicine that has been used to treat patients with allergic nasal disorders. Current medications commonly used to relieve symptoms of allergic reactions are anti-histamines and corticosteroids, but they have their own limitations such as short duration and severe side effects [5, 6]. Tonggyu-tang (TGT) composed of 12 herbs (Table 1), Pyeongwee-San [7], Biyeom-Tang [8], Hyeonggaeyeongyo-Tang [9] and So-Cheon-Ryon-Tang [10] have shown anti-inflammatory effects on patients with allergic nasal disorder
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