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Background: Antiallergic effect of 20(S)-protopanaxatriol (PPT), an intestinal metabolite of ginseng saponins, was investigated in guinea pig lung mast cells and mouse bone marrow-derived mast cells activated by a specific antigen/antibody reaction. Methods: Increasing concentrations of PPT were pretreated 5 min prior to antigen stimulation, and various inflammatory mediator releases and their relevant cellular signaling events were measured in those cells. Results: PPT dose-dependently reduced the release of histamine and leukotrienes in both types of mast cells. Especially, in activated bone marrow-derived mast cells, PPT inhibited the expression of Syk protein, cytokine mRNA, cyclooxygenase-1/2, and phospholipase A2 (PLA2), as well as the activities of various protein kinase C isoforms, mitogen-activated protein kinases, PLA2, and transcription factors (nuclear factor-ΚB and activator protein-1). Conclusion: PPT reduces the release of inflammatory mediators via inhibiting multiple cellular signaling pathways comprising the Ca2+ influx, protein kinase C, and PLA2, which are propagated by Syk activation upon allergic stimulation of mast cells.
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