Protective effect of corynoline in a murine allergic rhinitis model via inhibition of caspase-1/NF-κB

Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a serious public health concern worldwide. Therefore, the present study was conducted to scrutinize the protective effect of corynoline (COR) against ovalbumin (OVA)-induced AR in BALB/c mice. The effect of COR was investigated on various parameters, such as nose-rub score, histamine intensity, level of cytokines, and NF-kappa B binding activity. It was found that COR causes a significant reduction in the nose-rub score with a reduction in histamine intensity. It also causes reductions in cytokines, such as TNF-alpha, IL-1 beta, and MIP-2, in comparison to OVA-challenged mice. COR reduces the gene expression of active caspase-1 in Western blot analysis, together with inhibition of NF-kappa B binding activity. The inhibitory effect on NF-kappa B binding was further substantiated by docking analysis, where COR excellently docked into the active site of NF-kappa B via the creation of H-bond and pi-cation interactions with Lys145. Taken altogether, our results demonstrated that COR could be used as a potential therapeutic agent against AR.

Automated summary

Corynoline (COR) shows protective effects against ovalbumin (OVA)-induced allergic rhinitis (AR) in mice by reducing histamine intensity, cytokine levels, and NF-kappa B binding activity. The findings suggest that COR could be a potential therapeutic agent for AR.