Cordyceps polysaccharide ameliorates airway inflammation in an ovalbumin-induced mouse model of asthma via TGF-β1/Smad signaling pathway

Respir Physiol Neurobiol. 2020 May:276:103412. doi: 10.1016/j.resp.2020.103412. Epub 2020 Feb 7.

Abstract

Allergic asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by airflow obstruction, airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR), airway inflammation, and mucus overproduction. Cordyceps polysaccharide (CPS) is one of the main bioactive compounds of Cordyceps militarisis, a traditional Chinese medicine. In this study, we established a mouse model of asthma using ovalbumin (OVA) challenge and evaluated the potential regulatory effect of CPS (25, 50, and 100 mg/kg) on asthmatic mice. These results showed that the asthmatic mice treated with CPS suppressed the secretion of eotaxin, IL-4, IL-5, IL-13, and IFN-γ in the blood and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), and decreased serum IgE levels compared to the vehicle-treated mice. CPS also alleviated inflammatory cell infiltration, goblet cell hyperplasia, and the increases of inflammatory cells in the mouse model of asthma. In addition, OVA-induced AHR was inhibited by CPS treatment. Further analyses of protein expression revealed that CPS inhibited the activation of transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1)/Smad pathway in mice with asthma. These findings indicated that CPS might serve as a potential therapeutic agent for the management of allergic asthma.

Keywords: Airway inflammation; Asthma; Cordyceps polysaccharide; Smad; TGF-β1; aIrway hyperresponsiveness.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Asthma / chemically induced
  • Asthma / metabolism*
  • Asthma / physiopathology
  • Cordyceps*
  • Fungal Polysaccharides / pharmacology*
  • Interferon-gamma / drug effects
  • Interferon-gamma / metabolism
  • Interleukin-13 / metabolism
  • Interleukin-4 / metabolism
  • Interleukin-5 / metabolism
  • Lung / drug effects*
  • Lung / metabolism
  • Lung / physiopathology
  • Medicine, Chinese Traditional
  • Mice
  • Ovalbumin
  • Respiratory Hypersensitivity / metabolism
  • Respiratory Hypersensitivity / physiopathology
  • Signal Transduction
  • Smad2 Protein / drug effects*
  • Smad2 Protein / metabolism
  • Smad3 Protein / drug effects*
  • Smad3 Protein / metabolism
  • Transforming Growth Factor beta1 / drug effects*
  • Transforming Growth Factor beta1 / metabolism

Substances

  • Fungal Polysaccharides
  • Interleukin-13
  • Interleukin-5
  • Smad2 Protein
  • Smad2 protein, mouse
  • Smad3 Protein
  • Smad3 protein, mouse
  • Tgfb1 protein, mouse
  • Transforming Growth Factor beta1
  • Interleukin-4
  • Interferon-gamma
  • Ovalbumin