Effects of lactose-β-sitosterol and β-sitosterol on ovalbumin-induced lung inflammation in actively sensitized mice

• Published in: International immunopharmacology 2007-12, Vol.7 (12), p.1517-1527
• Main Authors: Yuk, Ji Eun, Woo, Jin Suk, Yun, Chi-Young, Lee, Ji-Sook, Kim, Joo-Hwan, Song, Gyu-Yong, Yang, Eun Ju, Hur, In Kang, Kim, In Sik
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Anti-Asthmatic Agents - pharmacology; Anti-Asthmatic Agents - therapeutic use; Asthma; Asthma - chemically induced; Asthma - immunology; Asthma - prevention & control; Biological and medical sciences; Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid - chemistry; Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid - cytology; Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid - immunology; Cell Survival - drug effects; Cell Survival - immunology; Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Eosinophils - cytology; Female; Gene Expression - drug effects; Glycosides - chemical synthesis; Glycosides - pharmacology; Glycosides - therapeutic use; Immunoglobulin E - blood; Immunoglobulin E - metabolism; Interleukin-13 - genetics; Interleukin-13 - metabolism; Interleukin-4 - genetics; Interleukin-4 - metabolism; Interleukin-5 - genetics; Interleukin-5 - metabolism; Lactose - chemistry; Lactose-β-sitosterol; Leukocytes - cytology; Lung - drug effects; Lung - metabolism; Lung - pathology; Medical sciences; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Molecular Structure; Ovalbumin - administration & dosage; Ovalbumin - immunology; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Pneumology; Pneumonia - chemically induced; Pneumonia - immunology; Pneumonia - prevention & control; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; Sitosterols - chemistry; Sitosterols - pharmacology; Sitosterols - therapeutic use; Vaccination; β-sitosterol
• ISSN: 1567-5769; 1878-1705
• DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2007.07.026

Asthma is a disease marked by chronic lung inflammation and the number of patients suffering from asthma increases annually. Both β-sitosterol (BS) and β-sitosterol glucoside exist in a variety of plants and have anti-tumor, anti-microbial, and immunomodulatory activities. However, the precise role of BS and β-sitosterol glucoside in asthma has not been well understood. The aim of this study was to investigate the inhibitory effects of BS and lactose-BS (L-BS) on the pathophysiological process in ovalbumin-induced asthmatic mice. The total cells and eosinophils in the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid markedly decreased ( p < 0.05) after L-BS or BS administration (1 mg/kg; i.p.), and the ROS production also decreased in comparison to the asthma control. Histopathological features were detected by performing histochemisty, including H&E and alcian blue & P.A.S staining. Both L-BS and BS mitigated the inflammation by eosinophil infiltration and mucus hypersecretion by goblet hyperplasia. These effects of L-BS were superior to those of BS. L-BS and BS inhibited the increased mRNA and protein expression of IL-4 and IL-5 in the lung tissue and BAL fluid, respectively. The IgE concentration in the BAL fluid and serum was measured by performing ELISA and the ovalbumin-specific IgE in the BAL fluid was uniquely inhibited by L-BS ( p < 0.05). The splenocytes were isolated from the normal and asthmatic mice and incubated in the absence and presence of 100 μg/ml ovalbumin, respectively. L-BS blocked the survival rate of the splenocytes of the mice ( p < 0.01). This finding indicates the possibility of L-BS and BS as potential therapeutic molecules in asthma and may contribute to the need to improve current therapeutic drugs.