Bioactive compound ginkgolide B alleviates food allergy by regulating mTOR signaling pathway.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of food allergy has been rising over the past decade, but effective treatments remain limited. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of ginkgolide B (GB), a natural bioactive compound with well-documented anti-inflammatory and immunoregulatory properties, on a mouse model of food allergy and to elucidate the mechanism mediated by the mTOR signaling pathway. METHODS: BALB/c mice were randomly divided into five groups, namely: NC group, food allergy group (Model), low-dose GB intervention group (GBL, 5 mg/kg/day), high-dose GB intervention group (GBH, 40 mg/kg/day), and a positive control group treated with food allergy herbal formula-2 (FAHF-2). At the end of the sensitization period, the mice were intervened by gavaging GB or FAHF-2. Allergy-related factors such as serum titers, cytokines in the spleen, and intestinal morphology were detected. mTOR signaling pathway in the splenocytes was also detected. RESULTS: After treatment, the levels of serum IgE, IgG, IgG1, and IgG2a in the GBL group were significantly lower than those in the GBH and model groups. The analysis of intestinal morphology indicated that a low dose of GB and FAHF-2 alleviated food allergy more effectively than a high dose of GB. The results of the analysis of splenic cytokines and flow cytometry showed more balanced Th1/Th2 ratio and Th17/Treg ratio after GB and FAHF-2 treatment, especially for GBL, whose effect was comparable to those of FAHF-2. The expression levels of p-STAT3, p-STAT6, and GATA-3 were significantly decreased, and the expression levels of p-STAT4 and Foxp3 were significantly increased after GB and FAHF-2 treatment. Moreover, the reductions in p-mTOR, p-AKT, p-SGK1, and p-4EBP1 induced by allergic sensitization were restored in the GBL intervention group. CONCLUSION: GB (5 mg/kg/day) exerts a significant therapeutic effect on food allergy, possibly by regulating the mTOR signaling pathway.