Withaferin A reduces pulmonary eosinophilia and IL-25 production in a mouse model of allergic airways disease.

BACKGROUND: Several studies report that ashwagandha, a traditional Ayurvedic supplement, has anti-inflammatory properties. Type 2 (T2) asthma is characterized by eosinophilic airway inflammation. OBJECTIVE: We hypothesized that allergen-induced eosinophilic airway inflammation in mice would be reduced following administration of Withaferin A (WFA), the primary active phytochemical in Ashwagandha. MATERIALS AND METHODS: C57BL/6J mice were given 10 total intra-peritoneal injections of 2 mg/kg WFA or vehicle control, concurrent with 6 total intranasal administrations of 50 μg house dust mite extract (HDM) or saline control over 2 weeks. RESULTS: We observed that treatment with WFA reduced allergen-induced peribronchial inflammation and airway eosinophil counts compared to mice treated with controls. In addition, we observed that treatment with WFA reduced lung levels of interleukin-25 (IL-25) but increased lung gene expression levels of its co-receptor, Il17ra, in HDM-challenged mice compared to HDM-challenged mice that received the vehicle control. CONCLUSION: This study pinpoints a potential mechanism by which WFA modulates allergen-induced airway eosinophilia via the IL-25 signaling pathway. Future studies will investigate the effects of WFA administration on lung eosinophilia and IL-25 signaling in the context of chronic allergen-challenge.