ABSTRACT
Objective To study the effects of total saponins of Chaenomeles speciosa on release of β-hexosaminidase from rat basophilic leukemia-2H3 ( RBL-2H3 ) mast cells. Methods After rat RBL-2H3 mast cells were prepared, total saponins of Chaenomeles speciosa and the RBL-2H3 mast cells were co-cultured.The toxic effects of total saponins of Chaenomeles speciosa on mast cells were detected by MTT method, β-hexosaminidase release rate was measured by fluorescence quantitative spectrophotometric method, and cell supernatants of tumor necrosis factor-α( TNF-α) release were detected by ELISA. Results After total saponins of Chaenomeles speciosa were co-cultured with RBL-2H3 mast cells with different antigen stimulation, β-hexosaminidase release rates and the levels of TNF-α of mast cells significantly decreased compared with the control group. Conclusion Total saponins of Chaenomeles speciosa inhibit the degranulation of RBL-2H3 mast cells in a dose dependent manner, which provids basis for studying mechanism of inhibiting allergic reactions.