Adenophorae Radix (AR) has been used as a traditional medicine for various diseases. However, the regulatory mechanisms of AR in allergic inflammation are not yet understood. The present study was conducted to investigate the effect and mechanisms of AR on the mast cell-mediated allergic response. To determine the pharmacological mechanisms of AR in allergic inflammation, we evaluated the effects of AR on the production of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1β and IL-8 as well as the activation of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) and caspase-1 in phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate plus calcium ionophore A23187 (PMACI)-stimulated human mast cells (HMC-1). Our results demonstrated that AR effectively attenuated the PMACI-induced production of TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1β and IL-8 in stimulated HMC-1. Additionally, we showed that the inhibitory effect of AR on inflammatory cytokines in PMACI-stimulated HMC-1 cells involved the suppression of the activation NF-kB/caspase-1 in PMACI-stimulated HMC-1. Collectively, these findings provide experimental evidence that AR may be a useful candidate for the treatment of allergic inflammation.

Abstract
Introduction
Materials and Methods
    Reagents
    Preparation of AR
    Cell culture
    MTT assay
    Cytokine assay
    Western blot analysis
    Luciferase reporter gene assay
    Caspase-1 activity assay
    Statistical analysis
Results
    Effect of AR on cell viability in PMACI- stimulatedHMC-1 cells
    Effect of AR on inflammatory cytokine secretion inPMACI- stimulated HMC-1 cells
    Effect of AR on NF-κB activation in PMACI-stimulatedHMC-1 cells
    Effect of AR on caspase-1 activation in PMACI -stimulatedHMC-1 cells
Discussion
References

• Noh-Yil Myung(Department of Oriental Medicine and Healthcare, Wonkwang Digital University) Corresponding author