Inhibition of Anaphylaxis-Like Reaction and Mast Cell Activation by Water Extract from the Fruiting Body of Phellinus linteus

Abstract

Mast cells are important mediators of immediate hypersensitivity, such as allergy and anaphylaxis. In response to the IgE-dependent and IgE-independent stimuli, mast cells elicit degranulation, which results in releasing various mediators, such as histamine and an array of inflammatory cytokines. Histamine, a main content of granules in mast cells, exerts many effects related to the acute phase of immediate hypersensitivity, including vasodilatation, increased vascular permeability, and tissue edema. 1) Mast cell degranulation can also be elicited by the basic secretagogues. The most potent secretagogues include the compound 48/80, which is a mixed polymer of phenethylamine cross-linked by formaldehyde. 2)In general, compound 48/80 initiates the generation of superoxide anion by A-kinase inactivation through decreasing the intracellular cAMP concentration in mast cells.3) Generated superoxide anion results in the increase of intracellular calcium content, which leads to histamine release from mast cells.4) Thus, compound 48/80 has been used as a direct and convenient reagent to study the mechanism of allergy and anaphylaxis. 1)Phellinus linteus, an orange color mushroom growing well on mulberry tree, is a well-known fungus of the genus Phellinus in the family of Hymenochaetaceae and has been used as a traditional herb medicine in oriental countries. 5)Proteoglycan isolated from Phellinus linteus has been shown to have anti-tumor and immunomodulatory effects.6) It has also been shown to alleviate the septic shock induced by the lipopolysaccharide injection in mice and to be involved in the prevention and treatment of autoimmune joint inflammation such as rheumatoid arthritis. 7,8) Moreover, ethanol extract of Phellinus linteus exhibits potent anti-oxidant and anti-angiogenic activities.9) Lim et al. have reported that organic solvent extracts of Phellinus linteus suppress IgE production by modulating helper T lymphocytes 1/2 balance in murine splenocytes and mesenteric lymph node lymphocytes. 10,11) Inagaki et al. have also demonstrated that a boiling water fraction from mycelium of Phellinus linteus inhibits IgE-dependent mouse triphasic cutaneous reaction.12) However, direct cellular mechanism underlying the mast cell-mediated anaphylaxis-like reaction has poorly been understood. In this study, we have investigated the inhibitory mechanism of water extract from the fruiting body of Phellinus linteus against the anaphylaxis-like reaction and mast cell activation. MATERIALS AND METHODS MaterialsCompound 48/80, disodium cromoglycate (DSCG), anti-DNP IgE, DNP-human serum albumin (HSA), bovine serum albumin (BSA) and HEPES were purchased from Sigma Chemical Co. (St. Louis, MO, U.S.A.). Percoll solution was purchased from Pharmacia (Uppsala, Sweden).Experimental Animals Male Balb/c (7 week old, 21-25 g), ICR (6 week old, 25-30 g) mice and Sprague-Dawley rats (8 week old, 230-280 g) were purchased from Damool Science (Daejeon, Korea). Animals were housed 3-5 per cages in laminar air-flow cabinet maintained at 22Ϯ1°C a...

Styrylpyrone-class compounds from medicinal fungi Phellinus and Inonotus spp., and their medicinal importance

“…36 Isohispidin (12) co-occurs as a minor compound, together with hispidin (1), suggesting that hispidin is a more stable structure than isohispidin (12). These metabolites (1,(12)(13)(14)(15) share the same biosynthetic origin as polyketides derived from caffeoyl-CoA. The structurally unusual inotilone (15) could be the product of decarboxylation-radical ring closure from hispolon (16), which was not isolated from this fungus, but is present in I. hispidus.…”

“…Although an overwhelming number of reports have been published on the importance of polysaccharides as immunomodulating agents, not all of the curative properties found in these medicinal fungi could be fully accounted for. [11][12][13][14][15] Recently, these medicinal fungi have been reported to produce a variety of yellow polyphenol pigments, known as styrylpyrones, which have shown significant biological effects, such as anti-oxidative, anti-cancer, anti-platelet, anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory and antiviral activities. Since the first isolation of hispidin (1) as a naturally occurring styrylpyrone from Inonotus hispidus (formerly Polyporus hispidus) in 1889, a number of other styrylpyrone metabolites from Phellinus and Inonotus have been discovered.…”

Phellinus linteusExtract Exerts Anti-asthmatic Effects by Suppressing NF-κB and p38 MAPK Activity in an OVA-induced Mouse Model of Asthma

“…It has been used as a traditional herbal medicine in Asian countries and reportedly has various pharmacological properties including hepatoprotective, anti-cancer, anti-oxidative, and anti-inflammatory effects (8,9,10). Regarding its anti-allergic activity, we have already shown that P. linteus attenuates mast cell-mediated anaphylaxis-like reactions (11). Consistent with this finding, Lim et al (12) have demonstrated that organic solvent extracts of P. linteus suppress IgE production by modulating Th1/Th2 balance in murine splenocytes (12).…”

Curcumin Inhibits Compound 48/80 Induced Systemic Anaphylaxis

“…Mice (n=5/group) received an intraperitoneal injection of compound 48/80 (1, 4 and 8 mg/kg, i.p ) as described previously [15][16]. Curcumin (5, 10 and 20 mg/kg, i.p ) was administered an hour prior to administration of compound 48/80.…”

“…In addition, previous studies demonstrated that curcumin had an inhibitory effect on histamine release from mast cells triggered by IgE, calcium ionophore A 23187, or concanavalin A [13][14][15]. Studies have suggested that curcumin has downregulated Th2 response and reduced lung inflammations in latex sensitized mice suggesting possible role of curcumin in controlling allergic disorders [16].…”