gamma-sitosterol and Pneumonia

We previously demonstrated that β-sitosterol (BSS) inhibits the expression of the chemokine IL-8 in CF bronchial epithelial cells exposed to P. aeruginosa. In the mouse model of lung chronic infection, herein shown, BSS significantly reduced leukocyte recruitment in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and decreased bacteria recovered in the airways. Treatment with BSS decreased the expression of key cytokines involved in immune response, mainly neutrophil chemotaxis, in the lung homogenate. This anti-inflammatory activity is accompanied by a beneficial protecting activity against infection and improvement of health status. Our data suggest that BSS has the potential to become a new drug to target the excessive neutrophil recruitment in lungs chronically infected by P. aeruginosa and encourage future investigations on mechanism of protection driven by BSS.

Topics: Animals; Cystic Fibrosis; Disease Models, Animal; Inflammation; Lung; Mice; Neutrophils; Pneumonia; Pseudomonas aeruginosa; Pseudomonas Infections

<b>Background and Objective:</b> <i>Kalanchoe tomentosa</i> is identified and their different characteristics regarding the antibacterial and antioxidant properties have a vast effect. Fresh <i>K. tomentosa</i> leaves obtained from Bandung, Indonesia was extracted using n-hexane followed by serial dichloromethane maceration. <b>Materials and Methods:</b> N-hexane and ethyl acetate were used to separate the dichloromethane extract using vacuum liquid chromatography and the isolated compounds were recrystallized with n-hexane. <b>Results:</b> About 37 mg of dichloromethane extract was obtained from the extraction process. Recrystallized compound isolates were identified as stigmast-5-en-3-ol or β-sitosterol. Both dichloromethane extract and β-sitosterol isolated compounds showed strong bacteriostatic activity against <i>S. aureus</i> with MIC = 15.63 and 7.81 μg mL¹ and<i> K. pneumonia</i> with MIC = 7.81 and 31.25 μg mL¹, respectively. However, only dichloromethane extract exhibited a bactericidal effect (7.81 μg mL¹). <b>Conclusion:</b> The pure β-sitosterol compound was isolated from<i> K. tomentosa</i> dichloromethane extract. Both the dichloromethane extract and the isolated β-sitosterol compound had antibacterial effects against <i>S. aureus</i> and <i>K. pneumonia.</i>.

Topics: Anti-Bacterial Agents; Kalanchoe; Klebsiella; Methylene Chloride; Plant Extracts; Plant Leaves; Pneumonia; Sitosterols; Staphylococcus aureus

Asthma is a disease marked by chronic lung inflammation and the number of patients suffering from asthma increases annually. Both beta-sitosterol (BS) and beta-sitosterol glucoside exist in a variety of plants and have anti-tumor, anti-microbial, and immunomodulatory activities. However, the precise role of BS and beta-sitosterol glucoside in asthma has not been well understood. The aim of this study was to investigate the inhibitory effects of BS and lactose-BS (L-BS) on the pathophysiological process in ovalbumin-induced asthmatic mice. The total cells and eosinophils in the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid markedly decreased (p<0.05) after L-BS or BS administration (1 mg/kg; i.p.), and the ROS production also decreased in comparison to the asthma control. Histopathological features were detected by performing histochemistry, including H&E and alcian blue & P.A.S staining. Both L-BS and BS mitigated the inflammation by eosinophil infiltration and mucus hypersecretion by goblet hyperplasia. These effects of L-BS were superior to those of BS. L-BS and BS inhibited the increased mRNA and protein expression of IL-4 and IL-5 in the lung tissue and BAL fluid, respectively. The IgE concentration in the BAL fluid and serum was measured by performing ELISA and the ovalbumin-specific IgE in the BAL fluid was uniquely inhibited by L-BS (p<0.05). The splenocytes were isolated from the normal and asthmatic mice and incubated in the absence and presence of 100 microg/ml ovalbumin, respectively. L-BS blocked the survival rate of the splenocytes of the mice (p<0.01). This finding indicates the possibility of L-BS and BS as potential therapeutic molecules in asthma and may contribute to the need to improve current therapeutic drugs.

Topics: Animals; Anti-Asthmatic Agents; Asthma; Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid; Cell Survival; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Eosinophils; Female; Gene Expression; Glycosides; Immunoglobulin E; Interleukin-13; Interleukin-4; Interleukin-5; Lactose; Leukocytes; Lung; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Molecular Structure; Ovalbumin; Pneumonia; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; Sitosterols; Vaccination