Platycodin D Attenuates Airway Inflammation in a Mouse Model of Allergic Asthma by Regulation NF-κB Pathway

In this work, the anti-asthma potential of platycodin D (PLD) was studied by investigation of its effect to suppress airway inflammation, a murine model of asthma and the possible mechanisms. A total of 50 mice were randomly assigned to five experimental groups: control, ovalbumin (OVA), OVA+ dexamethasone (2 mg/kg) and OVA+PLD (40, 80 mg/kg). Airway resistance (Raw) were measured; airway histological studies were evaluated by the hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining; interleukin-4 (IL-4), interleukin-5(IL-5), and interleukin-13 in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were evaluated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA); NF-kappa Bp65, p-NF-kappa Bp65, p-IKK alpha, IKK alpha, p-IKK beta, p-I kappa B alpha, and I kappa B alpha of airway were measured by Western blotting. Our study demonstrated that PLD inhibited OVA-induced increases in Raw and eosinophil count in airway; IL-4, IL-5, and IL-13 were recovered in BALF. Histological studies demonstrated that PLD substantially inhibited OVA-induced eosinophilia in airway tissue. Western blotting studies demonstrated that PLD substantially inhibited NF-kappa B pathway. These findings suggest that PLD may effectively ameliorate the progression of asthma and could be used as a therapy for patients with allergic asthma.