Cycloastragenol alleviates airway inflammation in asthmatic mice by inhibiting autophagy

Mol Med Rep. 2021 Nov;24(5):805. doi: 10.3892/mmr.2021.12445. Epub 2021 Sep 20.ABSTRACTCycloastragenol (CAG), a secondary metabolite from the roots of Astragalus zahlbruckneri, has been reported to exert anti‑inflammatory effects in heart, skin and liver diseases. However, its role in asthma remains unclear. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of CAG on airway inflammation in an ovalbumin (OVA)‑induced mouse asthma model. The current study evaluated the lung function and levels of inflammation and autophagy via measurement of airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR), lung histology examination, inflammatory cytokine measurement and western blotting, amongst other techniques. The results demonstrated that CAG attenuated OVA‑induced AHR in vivo. In addition, the total number of leukocytes and eosinophils, as well as the secretion of inflammatory cytokines, including interleukin (IL)‑5, IL‑13 and immunoglobulin E were diminished in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of the OVA‑induced murine asthma model. Histological analysis revealed that CAG suppressed inflammatory cell infiltration and goblet cell secretion. Notably, based on molecular docking simulation, CAG was demonstrated to bind to the active site of autophagy‑related gene 4‑microtubule‑associated proteins light chain 3 complex, which explains the reduced autophagic flux in asthma caused by CAG. The expression levels of proteins associated with autophagy pathways were inhibited following treatment with...
Source: Molecular Medicine Reports - Category: Molecular Biology Authors: Source Type: research