Luteolin ameliorates inflammation and Th1/Th2 imbalance via regulating the TLR4/NF-κB pathway in allergic rhinitis rats

Objective Luteolin has an anti-allergic effect but its mechanism is not clear. This study attempted to determine the mechanisms of luteolin in rhinitis.Methods Allergic rhinitis rat model was established by ovalbumin (OVA) stimulation. Then, the rats were treated with normal saline, luteolin, or lipopolysaccharide (LPS) for 14 days. Nasal symptoms were scored; the histopathological changes of nasal mucosa were detected by hematoxylin–eosin staining. Serum levels of Th1 type cytokines (IFN-γ, IL-2), Th2 type cytokines (IL-4, IL-5, IL-13), and OVA-specific IgE (sIgE) were determined by ELISA. The expressions of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and p65 in nasal mucosa were detected by Western blot or immunohistochemistry.Results Luteolin decreased symptom scores, specifically, the scores in control group, model group, model + 0.1 mg/kg luteolin, model + 1 mg/kg luteolin, and model + 10 mg/kg luteolin groups were 0.63 ± 0.52, 7.88 ± 0.83, 1.38 ± 0.52, 2.75 ± 0.46, and 5.00 ± 0.53, respectively. Luteolin ameliorated nasal mucosa inflammation by promoting the down-regulated levels of Th1 type cytokines, and suppressing the up-regulated levels of Th2 type cytokines, OVE-sIgE, TLR4, and p65. LPS further increased symptom scores, aggravated nasal mucosa inflammation, improved the unbalance of Th1/Th2 type cytokines, and lowered the expressions of OVE-sIgE, TLR4, and p65. Moreover, LPS reversed the effect of luteolin on allergic rhinitis rats.Conclusion Luteolin ameliorated inflammation and Th1/Th2 imbalance via regulating the TLR4/NF-κB pathway in allergic rhinitis rats. This study provided novel evidence that luteolin could be used as a candidate drug in allergic rhinitis treatment.