Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2016 Jun 3:16:167.
doi: 10.1186/s12906-016-1141-x.

Phytochemical profiles and inhibitory effects of Tiger Milk mushroom (Lignosus rhinocerus) extract on ovalbumin-induced airway inflammation in a rodent model of asthma

M Johnathan  1 , S H Gan  2 , M F Wan Ezumi  3 , A H Faezahtul  4 , A A Nurul  5
Affiliations

Phytochemical profiles and inhibitory effects of Tiger Milk mushroom (Lignosus rhinocerus) extract on ovalbumin-induced airway inflammation in a rodent model of asthma

M Johnathan et al. BMC Complement Altern Med. .

Abstract

Background: Lignosus rhinocerus (L. rhinocerus), which is known locally as Tiger Milk mushroom, is traditionally used in the treatment of asthma by indigenous communities in Malaysia. However, to date, its efficacy on asthma has not been confirmed by scientific studies and there is also sparse information available on its active constituents. In this study, the volatile constituent of L. rhinocerus hot water extract was investigated using gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The potential effects of L. rhinocerus extract for anti-asthmatic activity was further investigated on ovalbumin (OVA)-sensitized asthmatic Sprague Dawley rats.

Methods: Sequential extraction using five solvents (petroleum ether, diethyl ether, hexane, ethyl acetate and methanol) was conducted prior to GC-MS analysis. Male Sprague Dawley rats were divided into the following four groups of five animals each: 1) normal rats, 2) sensitization plus OVA-challenged rats 3) sensitization plus OVA-challenged with L. rhinocerus treatment and 4) sensitization plus OVA-challenged with dexamethasone treatment. The levels of immunoglobulin E (IgE) in the serum and T-helper 2 cytokines, including interleukin (IL)-4, IL-5 and IL-13, in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), as well as eosinophil infiltration in the lungs, were investigated.

Results: GC-MS analysis revealed the presence of five main groups (alkane, fatty acids, benzene, phenol and dicarboxylic acid) with a total of 18 constituents. Linoleic acid (21.35 %), octadecane (11.82 %) and 2,3-dihydroxypropyl elaidate (10.47 %) were present in high amounts. The extract significantly ameliorated the increase in total IgE in serum and IL-4, IL-5 and IL-13 levels in BALF and also effectively suppressed eosinophils numbers in BALF while attenuating eosinophil infiltrations in the lungs.

Conclusion: L. rhinocerus hot water extract has the potential to be used as an alternative for the treatment of acute asthma.

Keywords: Airway inflammation; Asthma; GC-MS; Lignosus rhinocerus; Linoleic acid; Tiger milk mushroom.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Groups of compounds present in L. rhinocerus
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Volatile compounds detected in L. rhinocerus and their relative percentages
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
The effect of L. rhinocerus extract on the recruitment of inflammatory cells in BALF. Normal; untreated, OVA-sensitized/challenged rats; L. rhinocerus extract + OVA-sensitized/ challenged rats; dexamethasone + OVA-sensitized/ challenged rats. Values are expressed as the means ± SD (n = 5/group). *Significantly different from untreated. #Significantly different within treatment
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
The effect of L. rhinocerus extract on serum IgE levels. Normal; untreated, OVA-sensitized/challenged rats; L. rhinocerus extract + OVA-sensitized/challenged rats; dexamethasone + OVA-sensitized/ challenged rats. Values are expressed as the means ± SD (n = 5/group). *Significantly different from untreated
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
The effect of L. rhinocerus extract on the cytokines (a) IL-4, (b) IL-5 and (IL-13) levels in BALF. Normal; untreated, OVA-sensitized/challenged rats; L. rhinocerus extract + OVA-sensitized/challenged rats; dexamethasone + OVA-sensitized/ challenged rats. Values are expressed as the means ± SD (n = 5/group). *Significantly different from untreated
Fig. 6
Fig. 6
The effect of L. rhinocerus on airway inflammatory leukocyte infiltration in the peribronchiole region and perivascular connective tissue. (a) Magnification 50×. Black arrows indicate the presence of infiltration with eosinophils/leukocytes surrounding the bronchiole. (b) Quantitative analysis on the inflammation score with a subjective scale of 0–4 used to assess leukocyte infiltration in the lungs
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. World Health Organization (WHO) Asthma fact sheet. 2013.
    1. Lukacs NW. Role of chemokines in the pathogenesis of asthma. Nat Rev Immunol. 2001;1(2):108–16. doi: 10.1038/35100503. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Fish SC, Donaldson DD, Goldman SJ, Williams CM, Kasaian MT. IgE generation and mast cell effector function in mice deficient in IL-4 and IL-13. J Immunol. 2005;74:7716–24. doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.174.12.7716. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Collins P, Marleau S, Griffiths-Johnson D, Jose P, Williams T. Cooperation between interleukin-5 and the chemokine eotaxin to induce eosinophil accumulation in vivo. J Exp Med. 1995;182(4):1169–74. doi: 10.1084/jem.182.4.1169. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Farahi N, Cowburn AS, Upton PD, Deighton J, Sobolewski A, Gherardi E, Morrell NW, Chilvers ER. Eotaxin-1/CC chemokine ligand 11: a novel eosinophil survival factor secreted by human pulmonary artery endothelial cells. J Immunol. 2007;179(2):1264–73. doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.179.2.1264. - DOI - PubMed