Corydalis yanhusuo extract and its pharmacological substances alleviate food allergy by inhibiting mast cells activation via PLC/PKC/STAT3 pathway

Ethnopharmacological relevance: Food allergies have increasingly become a disease that affects global health and need for corresponding therapeutic drugs urgently. As a traditional Chinses medicine with a wide range of pharmacological effects, however, there was no clear research confirming therapeutic effect and pharmacological substances of Corydalis yanhusuo (YHS) on food allergies. Mast cells (MCs) are the main effector cells which mediate allergic and pseudo-allergic reactions.

Materials and methods: In this study, we investigated the effect of YHS extract on treating food allergy and its underlying mechanism. The inhibitory effect of YHS on MCs activation in vitro was evaluated by CA²⁺ influx, degranulation, and cytokine release detection. The in vivo effect was investigated using the passive cutaneous anaphylaxis (PCA), active systemic allergy as well as OVA-induced food allergy mice. Western blot was performed to reveal the signaling pathway.

Results: YHS extract showed an inhibitory effect on MCs activation and food allergy both in vitro and in vivo. PLC/PKC/STAT3 signaling pathway was suppressed by YHS extract in the disease. HPLC analysis revealed YHS extract contains corydaline and tetrahydropalmatine, and both compounds inhibited MCs activation induced by C48/80 in vitro.

Conclusion: YHS extract inhibited the MCs activation and food allergy via PLC/PKC/STAT3 pathway.

Corydaline; Corydalis yanhusuo; Food allergy; Mast cell; Tetrahydropalmatine.