In vitro and in vivo antiallergic effect of the fructus of Evodia rutaecarpa and its constituents

The unripe fruit of Evodia rutaecarpa (JUSS) BENTH (ER, Family Rutaceae) has been used frequently as a traditional medicine against inflammatory diseases in Korea, China and Japan. To evaluate antiallergic effect of ER, we isolated its main constituents, evodiamine and rutaecarpine, and evaluated in vivo their inhibitory effects against passive cutaenous anaphylaxis (PCA) reaction induced by IgE-antigen complex and scratching behaviors by compound 48/80. ER and its constituents, evodiamine and rutaecarpine, potently inhibited PCA reaction and scratching behaviors in mice, although ER weakly inhibited scratching behaviors. Evodiamine and rutaecarpine inhibited TNF-α and IL-4 protein expression in RBL-2H3 cells induced by IgE-antigen complex, although these did not inhibit degranulation of RBL-2H3 cells induced by IgE-antigen complex and rat peritoneal mast cells induced by compound 48/80. These findings suggest that ER and its constituents, evodiamine and rutaecarpine, may be effective for IgE-induced allergic diseases such as atopic dermatitis and rhinitis.