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Protocatechuic acid supplement alleviates allergic airway inflammation by inhibiting the IL-4Rα–STAT6 and Jagged 1/Jagged2–Notch1/Notch2 pathways in allergic asthmatic mice

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Abstract

Objective and design

To clarify the effects of dietary supplementation of protocatechuic acid (PCA) and in-depth mechanisms on allergic asthma in ovalbumin (OVA)-induced mice.

Materials

Female BALB/c mice were randomly divided into three groups (n = 10 in each group): control group, OVA-induced allergic asthma group, and OVA plus PCA group.

Treatment

Dietary supplementation of PCA was achieved by adding 50 mg/kg PCA to AIN 93G diet for 25 days.

Methods

Peripheral blood cells, pulmonary inflammatory cell infiltration, the levels of IL-4, IL-5, and IL-13 in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), the mRNA levels of Th2-related genes in the lungs, and the protein expressions of the IL-4Rα–STAT6 and the Jagged1/Jagged2–Notch1/Notch2 signaling pathways were measured.

Results

Significantly reduced inflammatory cells infiltration and mucosal hypersecretion in the lung tissues, repaired levels of interleukin IL-4, IL-5, and IL-13 in the BALF, and decreased mRNA expression of IL-4, IL-5, and GATA3 were observed in OVA plus PCA group. Moreover, PCA treatment down-regulated the protein levels of IL-4Rα–STAT6 and Jagged1/Jagged2–Notch1/Notch2 signaling pathways.

Conclusions

Dietary supplement of PCA alleviated allergic asthma partly through suppressing the IL-4Rα–STAT6 and Jagged1/Jagged2–Notch1/Notch2 signaling pathways in mice. Our study provided the theoretic basis of PCA used as functional food in preventing allergic asthma.

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Acknowledgements

Qin Li and Yinfan Wu have contributed equally to this work.

Funding

This study was supported by Guangzhou Science and Technology Program [201804020045], the Laboratory Open Found of Sun Yat-sen University [20180278], Shenzhen Science and Technology Innovation Commission [201803073000433], and National Natural Science Foundation of China [81573145 and 81730090].

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Author notes

  1. Qin Li and Yinfan Wu have contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Food, Nutrition and Health, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-Sen University (Guangzhou Campus), Guangzhou, China

    Qin Li, Yinfan Wu, Xingyue Guo, Yuheng Mao, Yimin Zhao, Jinchao Zou & Yan Yang

  2. Guangdong Engineering Technology Research Center of Nutrition Translation, Guangzhou, China

    Qin Li, Yinfan Wu, Xingyue Guo, Yuheng Mao, Yimin Zhao, Jinchao Zou & Yan Yang

  3. School of Public Health (Shenzhen), Sun Yat-Sen University (Shenzhen Campus), Shenzhen, China

    Qin Li, Yuheng Mao, Yimin Zhao, Jinchao Zou & Yan Yang

  4. School of Public Health, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China

    Yinfan Wu & Xingyue Guo

  5. Agriculture Life and Environmental Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada

    Ren Wang

  6. Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Otorhinolaryngology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China

    Chunwei Li

  7. Department of Otolaryngology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China

    Chunwei Li

  8. Department of Otolaryngology, Guangzhou Women and Children Medical Centre, Guangzhou, China

    Yanqiu Chen

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  1. Qin Li
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Li, Q., Wu, Y., Guo, X. et al. Protocatechuic acid supplement alleviates allergic airway inflammation by inhibiting the IL-4Rα–STAT6 and Jagged 1/Jagged2–Notch1/Notch2 pathways in allergic asthmatic mice. Inflamm. Res. 69, 1027–1037 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00011-020-01379-1

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