[{
  "type": "article-journal",
  "title": "Baicalin Attenuates Allergic Rhinitis in Rats via Suppressing TLR4/AP-1 Inflammatory Signaling Pathway",
  "author": [
    {
      "family": "Yang",
      "given": ""
    },
    {
      "family": "Li",
      "given": ""
    },
    {
      "family": "Chen",
      "given": ""
    },
    {
      "family": "Lv",
      "given": ""
    },
    {
      "family": "Xiao",
      "given": ""
    },
    {
      "family": "Ding",
      "given": ""
    },
    {
      "family": "Li",
      "given": ""
    }
  ],
  "issued": {
    "date-parts": [[2025]]
  },
  "container-title": "Journal of Animal and Plant Sciences",
  "ISSN": "1018-7081",
  "volume": "35",
  "issue": "5",
  "page": "1291-1301",
  "DOI": "https://doi.org/10.36899/JAPS.2025.5.0110",
  "abstract": "<p>Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a type of non-infectious inflammatory disease of the nasal mucosa with a complex pathogenesis. This study investigated the mechanism of Baicalin (BAI, main active component of&nbsp;<em>Radix Scutellariae&nbsp;</em>extract) on the immune-inflammatory response in AR rat model through Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)/activator protein-1 (AP-1) pathway. Healthy male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were used as Control group. The AR model (AR group) was constructed by ovalbumin sensitization, and treated with 0.9 mg/kg loratadine (LRD group) and 20, 40, 80 mg/kg of BAI (LD-BAI group, MD-BAI group and HD-BAI group)via intragastric administration for 28 days. Symptom scores of the rats were assessed, peripheral blood was collected to determine Th1/Th2 cell ratios and changes ininflammatory cytokines, and nasal mucosa tissues were harvested to analyze pathological morphological changes and the expression of proteins related to the TLR4/AP-1 signaling pathway. As against Control group, AR group suggested increased symptom scores; nasal mucosa tissue edema, congestion, and inflammatory cell infiltration; decreased CD3<sup>+</sup>CD4<sup>+</sup>IFN-&gamma;<sup>+</sup>Th1 proportion and increased CD3<sup>+</sup>CD4<sup>+</sup>IL-4<sup>+</sup>Th2 proportion in peripheral blood; elevated levels of inflammatory cytokinesIgE, IL-4, IL-17, and TNF-&alpha;, and decreased levels of IL-10 and IFN-&gamma;; increased relative expression (RE) of TLR4, Ikk&beta;, NF-&kappa;B, p-JNK, and AP-1 proteins in nasal mucosa tissue (<em>P&le;</em>0.05). As against AR group, LRD group, LD-BAI group, MD-BAI group, and HD-BAI group all suggested visible improvements in symptom scores, nasal mucosa tissue morphology, peripheral blood immune cell ratios, immune cytokine levels, and the expression of TLR4 pathway-related proteins in nasal mucosa, with HD-BAI group (80 mg/kg) demonstrating the most significant improvements in all indicators (<em>P&le;0.05</em>vs. AR group). These findings suggest that BAI may alleviate AR symptoms by modulating immune-inflammatory responses via TLR4/AP-1 signaling. BAI can suppress the activation of TLR4 and its downstream Ikk&beta;/NF-&kappa;B, JNK/AP-1 inflammatory signaling pathwaysin AR rat model. BAI shows the developing novel treatment modalities for AR, warranting further investigation.</p>",
  "publisher": "Pakistan Agricultural Scientists Forum",
  "URL": "https://thejaps.org.pk/AbstractView.aspx?mid=2025-JAPS-196"
}]