Oral administration of honokiol attenuates airway inflammation in asthmatic mouse model

ABSTRACT

Allergic asthma is a disease that pathologically characterized by eosinophilia infiltration, airway inflammation and hyper responsiveness. In this study, we evaluated the anti-inflammatory and anti-allergy possibilities of honokiol, a bi-phenolic compound obtained from species of the genus Magnolia, which has long been involved in traditional Chinese prescriptions for asthma-related lung diseases, in an ovalbumin-induced mouse model of allergic asthma. We found honokiol significantly inhibited the eosinophilia infiltration, reduced the airway inflammation and suppressed the production of inflammatory cytokines] as well as the IgE in serum. Moreover, MMP-9 and? [IL-4 and IFN- NF-kB were found to be involved in the honokiol induced biological process. These results suggested that honokiol may be a possible candidate in the treatment of lung asthma related diseases