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The anti-allergic activity of Cymbopogon citratus is mediated via inhibition of nuclear factor kappa B (Nf-Κb) activation

2015; BioMed Central; Volume: 15; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1186/s12906-015-0702-8

1472-6882

Marta Santos Serafim Machado, Hugo Bernardino Ferreira Silva, Raimon Rios, Anaque Pires de Oliveira, Noma Vilany Queiroz Carneiro, Ryan Santos Costa, William Santos Alves, Fabio-Luis Meneses Souza, Eudes da Silva Velozo, Silvana Alves de Souza, Tânia Maria Sarmento Silva, Maria Lenise Silva, Lain Carlos Pontes-de-Carvalho, Neuza Maria Alcântara‐Neves, Camila Alexandrina Figueiredo,

Herbal Medicine Research Studies

The prevalence of allergic diseases such as asthma has significantly increased worldwide, making it a public health concern. There is an urgent need for new anti-inflammatory agents with selective pharmacology and lower toxicity. Plant extracts have been used for centuries in traditional medicine to alleviate inflammatory diseases. In this work, we evaluated the anti-allergic activity of Cymbopogon citratus (Cy), a medicinal herb used by folk medicine to treat asthma.We used a murine model of respiratory allergy to the mite Blomia tropicalis (Bt) and evaluated certain parameters known to be altered in this model. A/J mice were sensitized (100 μg/animal s.c.) and challenged (10 μg/animal i.n.) with Bt mite extract and treated with 60, 120 or 180 mg/kg of Cy standardized hexane extract. The parameters evaluated included: cellular infiltrate in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL); eosinophil peroxidase activity (EPO); histopathological examination of the lung; serum levels of specific IgE, IgG1 and IgG2a; Th2 cytokine concentrations in BAL and expression of NF-κB.Our results showed that oral administration of a Cy hexane extract (especially 180 mg/Kg) reduced the numbers of leukocytes/eosinophils in BAL; the eosinophil peroxidase activity in BAL; the infiltration of leukocytes in lung tissue; the production of mucus in the respiratory tract; the level of IL-4 in BAL and the nuclear expression of NF-κB.The results presented demonstrate the potential of the Cy hexane extract to modulate allergic asthma; this extract may be an alternative future approach to treat this pathology.