effect of alpha-hederin, the active constituent of nigella sativa, on mirna-126, il-13 mrna levels and inflammation of lungs in ovalbumin-sensitized male rats

objectives: in previous studies the therapeutic effects of nigella sativa have been demonstrated on asthmatic animals. in the present study, the preventive effect of single dose of alpha-hederin, its active constituent, has been evaluated on lung inflammation and some inflammatory mediators in lungs of ovalbumin sensitized rat in order to elicit its mechanism. materials and methods: forty rats were randomly grouped in 4 groups; control (c), sensitized (s), sensitized pretreated groups with thymoquinone (3 mg/kg i.p., s+tq) and alpha-hederin (0.02 mg/kg i.p., s+ah). levels of il-13 mrna and mirna-126 in lung tissue and its pathological changes in each group were assessed. results: elevated levels of mirna-126, il-13 mrna and pathological changes were observed in the sensitized group compared to the control group (pconclusion: the results suggested that alpha-hederin had preventive effect on sensitized rats like thymoquinone. it may intervene in mirna-126 expression, which consequently could interfere with il-13 secretion pathway leading to a reduction in inflammatory responses.