Bacillus subtilis KCTC 11782BP-produced alginate oligosaccharide effectively suppresses asthma via T-helper cell type 2-related cytokines

PLoS One. 2015 Feb 6;10(2):e0117524. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0117524. eCollection 2015.

Abstract

According to the World Health Organization in 2013, 235 million people are afflicted with asthma. Asthma is a severe pulmonary disease that can be caused by the imbalance of T-helper (Th) type 1 (Th1) and type 2 (Th2) cells, and it is potentially fatal. In this study, we evaluated the anti-asthmatic effect of alginate oligosaccharide (AO), which was prepared from seaweed and converted by Bacillus subtilis KCTC 11782BP, in the mouse model of ovalbumin (OVA)-induced asthma. BALB/c mice were divided into the vehicle control (sensitized but not challenged), asthma induction, positive control (1 mg/kg dexamethasone), 50 mg/kg/day AO-treated, 200 mg/kg/day AO-treated, and 400 mg/kg/day AO-treated groups. The numbers or levels of inflammatory cells, eosinophils, and immunoglobulin (Ig) E were measured in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), and asthma-related morphological and cytokine changes were analyzed in lung tissues. Our results show that AO dramatically reduced inflammatory cell numbers, eosinophil count, and IgE levels in BALF, and it dose-dependently inhibited asthmatic histopathological changes in the lung. In addition, AO dose-dependently suppressed the expression of CD3+ T-cell co-receptors, CD4+ Th cells, CD8+ cytotoxic T-cell-related factors, macrophages, and MHCII class. AO dose-dependently decreased the expression levels of Th1/2 cells-regulatory transcription factors such as GATA-3 which modulates Th2 cell proliferation and T-bet which does Th1 cell proliferation. The mRNA levels of all Th1/2-related cytokines, except IL-12α, were dose-dependently suppressed by AO treatment. In particular, the mRNA levels of IL-5, IL-6, and IL-13 were significantly inhibited by AO treatment. Our findings suggest that AO has the potential to be an anti-asthmatic drug candidate, due to its modulation of Th1/Th2 cytokines, which contribute to the pathogenesis of asthma.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Alginates / pharmacology
  • Alginates / therapeutic use*
  • Animals
  • Anti-Asthmatic Agents / pharmacology
  • Anti-Asthmatic Agents / therapeutic use*
  • Asthma / drug therapy*
  • Asthma / immunology
  • Asthma / metabolism
  • Bacillus subtilis / metabolism
  • Bronchial Hyperreactivity / drug therapy
  • Bronchial Hyperreactivity / immunology
  • Bronchial Hyperreactivity / metabolism
  • Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / immunology
  • Cell Proliferation / drug effects
  • Cytokines / metabolism*
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
  • Eosinophils / drug effects
  • Eosinophils / immunology
  • Eosinophils / metabolism
  • Female
  • Glucuronic Acid / pharmacology
  • Glucuronic Acid / therapeutic use
  • Hexuronic Acids / pharmacology
  • Hexuronic Acids / therapeutic use
  • Immunoglobulin E / immunology
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred BALB C
  • Th2 Cells / drug effects*
  • Th2 Cells / immunology
  • Th2 Cells / metabolism

Substances

  • Alginates
  • Anti-Asthmatic Agents
  • Cytokines
  • Hexuronic Acids
  • Immunoglobulin E
  • Glucuronic Acid

Grants and funding

The Fishery Commercialization Technology Development Program, Korea (112098-03-2-SB010). The Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Bioresource Inc., provided support in the form of salaries for authors GHJ & SKJ, but did not have any additional role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. The specific roles of these authors are articulated in the author contributions section.