Water-extracted Lonicera japonica polysaccharide attenuates allergic rhinitis by regulating NLRP3-IL-17 signaling axis

In this study, the immunomodulatory effects and mechanism of action of a novel water-extracted Lonicera japonica polysaccharide (WLJP) on allergic rhinitis (AR) was investigated. For the efficacy of WLJP, behavioral symptoms (rubbing and sneezing), serum inflammatory factors, pathological damage, splenic T cell differentiation, gut microbiota imbalance, and protein analysis of the nasal mucosa and colon were assessed. WLJP and the NLRP3 inhibitor, CY-09, were co-evaluated in the AR model established using LPS + IFN-γ-induced THP-1 cells. The WLJP group showed decreased serum inflammatory factors, eosinophils, goblet cells, NLRP3 inflammasomes, splenic Th17 cell differentiation, and expression of IL-17, p-p65, and gut NLRP3 in the nasal mucosa while maintaining gut microbiota balance, repairing the mechanical barrier, and significantly improving AR behavioral symptoms. In vitro interaction analysis showed a significant interaction between CY-09 and WLJP. In conclusion, WLJP improves AR by repairing the gut barrier and inhibiting NLRP3 inflammasome-driven inflammation and the Th17 immune response.