Inhibitory effects of schefflera leucantha extract on production of allergic mediators by langerhans cells and mast cells

Background: schefflera leucantha viguier is used as a traditional medicine in thailand and china to relieve chronic cough and asthma however,little is known about its anti-allergic effects. objective: this study was designed to investigate the effects of s leucantha ethanol extract (slee) on chemokine production by epidermal langerhans cells (lcs) stimulated with peptidoglycan (peg) from staphylococcus aureus and histamine release from mast cells. methods: lcs were purified from murine epidermal cells using the panning method with anti-iad monoclonal antibody. chemokine production by lcs was investigated by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (elisa) mast cells for histamine release assay were induced by long-term culture of mouse spleen cells. histamine release from these mast cells was measured by a competitive elisa. results: production of the eosinophil chemoattractant ccl5 and the type 2 t helper (th2)-associated chemokine ccl17 from peg-stimulated lcs was signifi cantly inhibited by slee. furthermore,slee significantly decreased the release of histamine from mast cells by lge-mediated degranulation. conclusion: these results suggest that s leucantha may offer a new therapeutic approach for the control of atopic dermatitis associated with s aureus colonization through inhibition of the production of allergic mediators. © 2010 esmon publicidad.