Anti-Allergic and Anti-inflammatory Effects of Hydrosol Extracted from Zanthoxylum schinifolium Branch

Zanthoxylum schinifolium Sieb. et Zucc. (syn. Fagara schinifolia Engler) was studied for its potential anti-inflammatory properties. The hydrosol extract prepared from the Z. schinifolium branch was analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Here, five main chemical components were identified in the hydrosol of the branches of this shrub. The main chemical compounds in the branch inhibited both an Immunoglobulin E (IgE)-antigen complex and a dinitrophenyl-bovine serum albumin (DNP-BSA)-induced β-hexosaminidase release in a dose-dependent manner in RBL-2H3 mast cells, and at the tested concentrations did not show cytotoxicity to RBL-2H3 cells. Moreover, hydrosol obtained from the branch substantially inhibited a lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced overproduction of intracellular active oxygen (ROS) and nitric oxide (NO). Consistently, the soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor-attachment protein receptor (SNARE) proteins of SNAP23, syntaxin4, VAMP7, and VAMP8 were remarkably decreased through hydrosol treatment. Hydrosol suppressed the activation of SNARE proteins in DNP-BSA-stimulated RBL-2H3 cells and inhibited ROS and NO in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells. Camphor and estragole are the main chemical components of hydrosol and downregulate the LPS-induced phosphorylation of the SNARE proteins. The hydrosol obtained from the branch of Z. schinifolium has therapeutic benefits for allergic inflammatory diseases.