Edible Bird's Nest Ameliorated Acute Pharyngitis Through Exerting the Anti-Inflammatory, Analgesic, and Expectorant...

Edible bird's nest (EBN) has been used in the treatment of pharyngitis, sore throat, and excessive sputum. The current study investigated the therapeutic efficacy and mechanisms of EBN against acute pharyngitis (AP). Peptides, amino acids, fatty acids, carbohydrate derivatives, and purine nucleosides were identified tentatively in EBN through the LC-MS method. The animal experiments showed that EBN mitigated AP via reducing the pathological state of pharyngeal tissue, downregulating the serum levels of PGE2 and IL-1β, and inhibiting the NF-κB signaling pathway in the AP rat model. Moreover, EBN also displayed the analgesic effect by decreasing the number of writhing and the serum PGE2 level in vivo. In addition, EBN exerted the expectorant activity through increasing phenol red secretion and inhibiting the expression of MUC5AC and MUC5B in the pharynx of AP model rats. This study suggests that EBN could alleviate AP through its anti-inflammation as well as its effects against the symptoms of sore throat and excessive sputum.