Effects of schizandrin on the expression of thymic stromal lymphopoietin in human mast cell line HMC-1

AimsThymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) plays an important role in allergic diseases such as asthma and atopic dermatitis. Schizandrin has various effects such as anti-asthmatic, anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory effects. However, the effect of schizandrin on the production of TSLP has not been clarified. Thus, we investigated how schizandrin inhibits the production of TSLP in the human mast cell line HMC-1 cells.Main methodsWe used enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, luciferase assay, and Western blot analysis to investigate the effects of schizandrin.Key findingsSchizandrin inhibited the production and mRNA expression of TSLP in HMC-1 cells. The maximal inhibition rate of TSLP production by schizandrin (10 μM) was 68.62 ± 3.47%. Schizandrin inhibited the translocation and luciferase activity of nuclear factor-κB induced by phorbol myristate acetate plus A23187. In the activated HMC-1 cells, the activation of caspase-1 was increased, whereas the activation of caspase-1 was decreased by pretreatment with schizandrin.SignificanceThese results suggest that schizandrin can be used to treat inflammatory and atopic diseases through the inhibition of TSLP.