Oral administration of honokiol attenuates airway inflammation in asthmatic mouse model

Allergic asthma is a disease that pathologically characterized by eosinophilia infiltration, airway inflammation and hyper responsiveness. In this study, we evaluated the anti-inflammatory and anti-allergy possibilities of honokiol, a bi-phenolic compound obtained from species of the genus Magnolia, which has long been involved in traditional Chinese prescriptions for asthma-related lung diseases, in an ovalbumin-induced mouse model of allergic asthma. We found honokiol significantly inhibited the eosinophilia infiltration, reduced the airway inflammation and suppressed the production of inflammatory cytokines) as well as the IgE in serum. Moreover, MMP-9 and? (IL-4 and IFN- NF-κB were found to be involved in the honokiol induced biological process. These results suggested that honokiol may be a possible candidate in the treatment of lung asthma related diseases.