Vitexin inhibits inflammation in murine ovalbumin-induced allergic asthma.

Vitexin is an important component of various medicinal plants frequently used to treat asthma, such as Crataegus spp., Vitex spp., Passiflora spp., and Echinodorus spp. However, there is no information about the vitexin potential as anti-asthmatic. The aim of the present work was to evaluate the anti-hypersensitive activity of vitexin in a murine ovalbumin (OVA)-induced allergic asthma model. Mice were sensitized to OVA by i.p. injection on days 1st and 10th, followed by a daily challenge with OVA using a nebulizer, from days 19th to 24th. Vitexin or dexamethasone were orally administered 1h before each OVA challenge. Vitexin attenuates migration induced by OVA-hypersensitivity of eosinophil, neutrophil, and mononuclear cells in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). Histological analysis of the lungs shows that vitexin suppressed leukocyte infiltration, mucus production and pulmonary edema. Increases in Th2 cytokines in BALF in OVA-induced asthma is also attenuated by vitexin, as well as plasma levels of IgE. Overall, these results suggest that vitexin can suppress OVA-induced allergic inflammation in mice and provide a strong rationale for further developing vitexin as a candidate treatment for allergic hypersensitivity. These data corroborate the popular use of vitexin-rich plants for asthma treatment.