Anti-allergic effect of lambertianic acid from Thuja orientalis in mouse bone marrow-derived mast cells

Abstract

Lambertianic acid is a bioactive diterpene found in the leaves of Thuja orientalis. Its effect on the bone marrow-derived mast cell (BMMC) mediated allergy and inflammation mechanism remains unknown. In this study, lambertianic acid was evaluated for its effect on the allergic mediators, including prostaglandin D₂ (PGD₂), leukotriene C₄ (LTC₄), β-hexosaminidase (β-Hex) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) protein, in phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) plus calcimycin-stimulated BMMCs. The results revealed that lambertianic acid inhibited the production of interleukin-6 (IL-6), PGD₂ and LTC₄, the expression of COX-2 and the degranulation of β-hexosaminidase in the PMA plus calcimycin-induced BMMCs. Taken together, these findings implied that lambertianic acid may possess the potential in the treatment of allergy.

Keywords::

• Lambertianic acid
• bone marrow-derived mast cell
• allergy
• IL-6
• PGD₂
• LTC₄
• β-hexosaminidase
• COX-2