Asthma is the most prevalent chronic respiratory disease worldwide. Garlic extracts have long been used as a food source and in traditional medicine. Crude extracts of garlic are used as an anti-inflammatory agent and have been reported to exhibit antiasthmatic properties. However, molecular mechanisms of garlic extracts in the context of antiasthmatic airway inflammation are still unclear. In this study, the antiasthmatic effect of garlic extracts on Th1, Th2, and Th3 cytokine profiles and immunoregulatory mechanism were explored using an animal model of allergic asthma. Garlic extracts significantly reduced total inflammatory cell counts and eosinophil infiltration and decreased the production of Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus IgE in serum and Th1/Th2/Th3 cytokine in bronchoalveolar fluid. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay analysis demonstrated that garlic extracts downregulated the levels of cytokines and chemokines, namely Th2-related IL-4, IL-5, and IL-13; but they simultaneously upregulated Th1-related IFN-[Formula: see text], IL-12, and Th3-related IL-10 and TGF-[Formula: see text] expression in BALF. The mechanism may be ascribed to the modulation of Th1-, Th2-, and Th3-related cytokine imbalance.
Background: Garlic has been extensively used for the therapy of antibacterial, anticancer and anticoagulant activities in folk medicine. Although garlic shows anti-inflammatory activities, its effect on airway inflammation of allergic asthma has not been studied. In this study, we explored the protective effect of n-hexane, dichloromethane, ethylacetate, n-butanol and water garlic extracts against airway inflammation in asthmatic mice. Methods: Allergic asthma in mice was sensitized and challenged by Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (Der p). Mice were administered in oral with different fractions of garlic extracts daily at doses of 80 mg/kg on 4 weeks. Inflammatory cell counts and classification in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were analyzed. Histopathological evaluation of lung tissue was performed by hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining. The IgE, IgG1 and IgG2a levels in serum were measured by using enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA). ELISA was also used to detect the levels of Th1 and Th2 cytokine and expression in BALF. Result: histological results revealed that water fraction of garlic extract (WH) could ameliorate Der p-induced histological changes by attenuating inflammatory cell infiltration, mucus hypersecretion and goblet cell hyperplasia in the lung. Treatment with WH significantly decreased the elevated inflammatory cell numbers in BALF and IgE, IgG1 and IgG2a productions in serum. WH treatment reduced the production of Th2 cytokine IL-4, IL-5, IL-13, and promoted Th1 cytokine IFN-r, IL-12 production in BALF. Conclusions: These findings suggest that water fraction of garlic extracts has markedly antiinflammatory effect on Der p-induced allergic asthma in mice, and could be a promising protective agent recommended for allergic asthma patients.
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