The inhibitory effect of Houttuynia cordata extract on stem cell factor-induced HMC-1 cell migration

• Published in: Journal of ethnopharmacology 2007-05, Vol.112 (1), p.90-95
• Main Authors: Kim, In Sik, Kim, Joo-Hwan, Kim, Jin Sook, Yun, Chi-Young, Kim, Dong-Hee, Lee, Ji-Sook
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: anti-inflammatory agents; bioassays; Biological and medical sciences; Blotting, Western; Cell Line; Cell migration; chemical constituents of plants; Chemotaxis - drug effects; ethnobotany; General pharmacology; herbal medicines; Hottuynia cordata; Houttuynia; human cell lines; Humans; inflammation; Mast cells; Mast Cells - drug effects; Mast Cells - metabolism; Mast Cells - physiology; Medical sciences; medicinal plants; medicinal properties; Medicine, East Asian Traditional; NF-kappa B - antagonists & inhibitors; NF-κB; Pharmacognosy. Homeopathy. Health food; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; plant extracts; Plant Extracts - pharmacology; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit - biosynthesis; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; Saururaceae; Stem Cell Factor - pharmacology; traditional medicine
• ISSN: 0378-8741; 1872-7573
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2007.02.010

Hottuynia cordata Thunb (Saururaceae; HC) is known as a therapeutic drug that has been used in traditional oriental medicine for the treatment of allergy. Mast cells play an important role in a variety of inflammatory diseases, and specifically asthma and atopy. In the present study, we investigated the effect of HC extracts on the migration of the human mast cell line, HMC-1, in response to stem cell factor (SCF). Treatment with HC extracts at a concentration of 10 μg/ml for 24 h showed no significant decrease in the survival rate of the HMC-1 cells. SCF showed the typical bell-shape curve for the HMC-1 cell chemoattraction with the peak of the curve at the SCF concentration of 100 ng/ml. HC-1, which was the whole plant ( Houttuynia cordata) extracted with 80% EtOH, and HC-3, which was the residue successively partitioned with EtOAc, both had inhibitory effects on HMC-1 cell movement. After the treatment with 10 μg/ml HC-1 extract for 6 and 24 h, the chemotactic index (CI) of HMC-1 cells decreased up to 74 and 63%, respectively. HC-3 extract treatment for 6 and 24 h lowered the CI to 72 and 44%, respectively. The HC-1 and HC-3 extracts had no inhibitory effect on the mRNA and surface protein expressions of c-kit, SCF receptor. SCF mediated the chemotaxis signaling via NF-κB activation, and both extracts inhibited the activation. Therefore, our results indicate that HC-1 and HC-3 extracts decrease the chemotactic ability of HMC-1 cells in response to SCF by inhibiting the NF-κB activation, and these substances may be useful for treating mast cell-induced inflammatory diseases.