A medicinal plant Cudrania tricuspidata ameliorates allergic inflammation in mouse

Aim: This study aims at investigating the effect of ethanol extract of Cudrania tricuspidata twigs on in vitro and in vivo allergic inflammation. Methodology: The ethanol extract of twigs from Cudrania tricuspidata (CTE) was prepared. The effects of CTE on the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced production of nitric oxide (NO) in Raw 264.7 cells were examined. 2,4-Dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB)-induced allergic inflammation model of mouse was constructed for in vivo study. The anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic effects of CTE were examined through DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) assay, MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and Western blot analysis. Results: The LPS-induced NO level was significantly reduced by Cudrania tricuspidata application in Raw 264.7 cells. LPS-induced inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression was also reduced by CTE, showing CTE's anti-inflammatory activity. Moreover, CTE reduced DNCB-induced IgE level in the mouse serum. The suppressive effect on the allergic inflammation stimulated by DNCB in the mouse model was investigated in terms of IL-4, IFN-y, TNF-a level and PAR-2 expression. Interpretation: The ethanol extract of Cudrania tricuspidata twigs can be developed as a potent therapeutics for allergic inflammation.