Many plant species containing flavonoids have been widely used in traditional Chinese medicine. Naringin, a well-known flavanone glycoside of citrus fruits, possesses antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptotic, anti-ulcer, anti-osteoporosis, and anti-carcinogenic properties. The aim of the study was to investigate the anti-asthmatic effects of naringin and the possible mechanisms. Asthma model was established by ovalbumin. A total of 50 mice were randomly assigned to five experimental groups: control, model, and dexamethasone (2 mg/kg, orally) and naringin (5 mg/kg, 10 mg/kg, orally). Airway resistance (Raw) were measured, histological studies were evaluated by the hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining, OVA-specific serum and BALF IgE levels and Th1/Th2 cytokines were evaluated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and Th1/Th2 cells was evaluated by flow cytometry (FCM). T-bet and GABA3 in the lung were evaluated by Western blot. Our study demonstrated that naringin inhibited OVA-induced increases in Raw and eosinophil count; OVA-induced effects on interleukin (IL)-4 and INF-gamma levels were blunted with naringin administration. Histological studies demonstrated that naringin substantially inhibited OVA-induced eosinophilia in lung tissue and airway tissue. Flow cytometry studies demonstrated that naringin substantially inhibited Th2 cells and enhanced Th1 cells. Naringin substantially inhibited GABA3 and increased T-bet. These findings suggest that naringin may effectively ameliorate the progression of asthma and could be used as a therapy for patients with allergic asthma.

ABSTRACT(S)-3-hydroxy-3-(2-thienyl) propanenitrile, which is the key chiral building block for the synthesis of (S)-duloxetine, was successfully prepared via enantioselective transesterification catalyzed by lipase under ultrasound irradiation. Compared with conventional shaking, the enzyme activity and enantioselectivity were dramatically enhanced under ultrasound irradiation. Under optimum reaction conditions (solvent: n-hexane, ultrasound power: 150 W, a w : 0.33, temperature: 40°C), Pseudomonas sp. lipase exhibited an excellent catalytic performance (enzyme activity: 81.5 μmol g −1 min −1 , E-value: 65.4). The reaction achieved its equilibrium in approximately 7 h with a conversion of 53.9% and high enantiopurity (99% ee) of (S)-3-hydroxy-3-(2-thienyl) propanenitrile could be obtained. ARTICLE HISTORY