Hyperforin is a type of bicyclic tetraketone with four
isoprenoid chains extracted from Hypericum perforatum L. that has multiple
biological activities such as anti-diabetes, antitumor and anti-
inflammation. However, the role and potential mechanism of
hyperforin in
allergic rhinitis (AR) remains to be clarified. In the present study, cell viability was analyzed using Cell Counting Kit-8 assay, while
inflammation was detected using ELISA and reverse transcription-quantitative PCR. Epithelial cell barrier damage was measured using western blotting and immunofluorescence staining. The expression levels of
B-cell lymphoma 6 (BCL6) and the
p38 MAPK/C-C motif
chemokine 11 (CCL11) pathway were detected using western blotting. In addition, the association between
hyperforin and BCL6 was analyzed by SWISS TargetPrediction, DisGeNET, Gene Ontology and Pathway databases. Molecular docking was performed using AutoDockTools 1.5.6 and Discovery Studio 4.5 software. The data demonstrated that there were 16 interlinking target genes of
hyperforin with AR, in which BCL6 was the most relevant one with
hyperforin in AR. The binding between
hyperforin and BCL6 was verified, and molecular docking was modeled. The results revealed that
hyperforin inhibited IL-13-induced nasal epithelial inflammatory
cytokine release and repressed the damage to the cellular barrier from
IL-13 stimulation. In addition,
hyperforin activated BCL6 expression and significantly suppressed the expression of
p38 MAPK/CCL11. Silencing of BCL6 reversed the effects of
hyperforin on IL-13-induced
inflammation and barrier damage. In summary, the present results revealed that
hyperforin suppressed IL-13-induced nasal epithelial cell
inflammation and barrier damage by targeting BCL6/
p38 MAPK/CCL11, which may provide promising therapeutic targets for AR.