Bixin protects mice against bronchial asthma though modulating PI3K/Akt pathway

Abstract

Background: Accumulating evidence has implicated the potential of natural compounds in treatment of asthma. Bixin is a natural food coloring isolated from the seeds of Bixa Orellana, which possesses antitumor, anti-in ammatory and antioxidative properties. Nevertheless, its therapeutic effect in asthma has not been elucidated. Methods: Acute and chronic asthma models of Balb/c mice were established by ovalbumin (OVA) sensitization. For the establishment of a glucocorticoids (GCs) resistant asthma model, Freund's Adjuvant (CFA) was injected intraperitoneally with OVA. After Bixin treatment, cells in Bronchoalveolar lavage uid (BALF) were stained with Diff Quick staining and the levels of cytokines were measured by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The levels of protein in cells and tissues were determined by immunoblotting and/or immunostaining with speci c antibodies. The histological changes were determined by Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E), PAS and MASSON staining.Results: Our present study demonstrated that administration of Bixin suppressed allergic airway in ammation and reversed GCs resistance, as well as alleviated airway remodeling and airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) in asthmatic mice. In vitro studies showed that Bixin treatment could inhibit the development of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) mediated by transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) signaling. Importantly, Bixin antagonized activation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B (PI3K/Akt) pathway both in vitro and in vivo.Conclusions: Above all, our ndings reveal that Bixin functions as a potent antagonist of PI3K/Akt signaling to protect against allergic asthma, highlighting a novel strategy for asthma treatment based on natural products.

Insights into potential mechanisms of asthma patients with COVID-19: A study based on the gene expression profiling of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid

“…PI3K inhibitors can significantly reduce the number of eosinophils in the lungs, the level of eosinophil chemokine, and the expression of IL-5 and IL-13 in BALF of asthmatic mice [ 42 ]. Inhibition of PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway with targeted molecules or natural compounds can attenuate peri-bronchial and peri-vascular inflammation to protect airways, such as LY294002 and Bixin [ 43 , 44 ]. On the other hand, the mTOR inhibitor rapamycin is identified as a potential medication for COVID-19 patients by constructing the drug-target network for the human coronavirus–host interactome via various bioinformatics approaches [ 45 ].…”

Molecular Networking, Network Pharmacology, and Molecular Docking Approaches Employed to Investigate the Changes in Ephedrae Herba before and after Honey-Processing

“…Cough and asthma treatment with EH was primarily associated with anti-inflammatory activity, and the enriched signaling pathways for TNF, MAPK, and PI3K-Akt were associated with inflammation. The PI3K-Akt pathway and asthma were associated with the main synergistic effects of HEH on cough and asthma [17,18], with the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway being enriched to a total of 10 targets. PI3K is a member of the lipid kinase family, and Akt is a downstream actor of PI3K.…”

Bixin Prevents Colorectal Cancer Development through AMPK‐Activated Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress

“…Bixin is a liposoluble diapocarotenoid isolated from Bixa orellana , which has been widely explored as a herbal medicine by local communities in America. Bixin has been demonstrated to have multiple pharmaceutical properties, such as antiasthma [ 12 ], antioxidant [ 13 ], anti-inflammatory [ 14 ], and neuroprotective effects [ 15 ]. Besides, Bixin also exhibits antitumor activities in blood and solid tumor cancers.…”