Porcupine flesh homogenate induces T-bet and IFN-γ expression in mononuclear cells of asthmatic patients: possible molecular mechanism of a zoo-therapeutic treatment

Abstract

The traditional use of animals and animal-derived products for medicinal purposes recently entitled as zoo-therapy. The porcupine) <em>Hystrix </em>spp.) belongs to a family of herbivorous rodent that lives in southern Europe and Asia. Traditionally, porcupine body parts have excessive medicinal values in endemic people zoo-therapeutic prescribes for treatment of illnesses such as gastritis problems, typhoid and asthma. Asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases worldwide that has characterized by reduction of T-helper type 1 cells and their produced IFN-&gamma;cytokine because of T-bet transcription factor reduced activity. In this regard, current study aimed to investigate the molecular pathways of traditionally reported therapeutic effects of porcupine-flesh homogenate extract (PFHE) on asthma patients. After blood sampling of 26 asthmatic cases, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMNCs) isolated, cultured and incubated with PFHE for 72 hrs. Then, T-bet mRNA expression and IFN-&gamma; levels assessed&nbsp;using real-time PCR and ELISA methods respectively to find out if PFHE affects these factor levels. Results showed that PFHE significantly induced T-bet mRNA expression and elevates IFN-&gamma; production in patients&rsquo; cultured PBMNCs.