Effects of Allium cepa and Its Constituents on Respiratory and Allergic Disorders: A Comprehensive Review of Experimental and Clinical Evidence

Table 5

The effects of A. cepa and its constituents on allergic and immunologic disorders.

Study type	Plant preparations	Dose	Study models	Effects	Ref.
Exp	A. cepa extract	100 and 1,000 mg/kg/day	Antiallergic immune response	Improved Th1/Th2 balance; reduced proinflammatory cytokine levels	[131]
	A. cepa extract	150 and 300 mg/kg b.w,	Intranasal	Decreased cellular infiltration and eosinophil and lymphocyte count in the blood and BALF	[91]
	A. cepa extract	Onion 20 and 40 μl	Intranasal	Decreased mRNA levels of IL-4, IL-5, IL-10, IL-13, IFN-γ, and TNF-α	[119]
	A. cepa extract	10 mg/400 mL	Peritoneal cells	Decreased cytokine release, macrophage phagocytic activity, and NK cell activity	[152]
	A. cepa extract	20 μL	Lung eosinophilia infiltration	Reduced inflammatory cytokines and total cell counts in BALF and EPO in the lungs	[31]
	A. cepa extract	500 mg/kg	Lung and tissue	Decreased no, IL-6, TNF-α, IL-1β levels	[153]
	A. cepa extract	500 and 50 mg/kg/day	Pulmonary tissues	Low doses of onion was not toxic but high dose was toxic to rats	[154]
	A. cepa extract	250–600 mg	Allergic rhinitis	Reduced production of IL-4, IL-5, and IL-13	[30]
	Kaempferol	75 mg/kg	OVA-sensitized mice	Reduced Th2, Th17, IL-4, IL-17, and TGF-β but increased Treg cells, Th1/Th2 ratio, FOXP3, IFN-γ/IL-4 ratio, and IFN-γ gene expressions	[155]
	Kaempferol	20 μmol/l	OVA-sensitized mice	Decreased IL-1β-induced NF-κb p65 DNA-binding activity and nuclear c-Jun expression	[156]
	Kaempferol	—	OVA-sensitized rats	Reduced eosinophil count, IgE, IL-4, IL-5, IL-13, TNF-α, and IFN-γ levels	[157]
	Kaempferol	50 µM	OVA-sensitized rats	Inhibited LTB4 production without cytotoxicity	[158]
	SAC	10 or 20 mg/kg	OVA-sensitized mice	Reduced airway hyperresponsiveness, inflammatory cell counts, Th2-type cytokines in BALF, and serum OVA-specific IgE	[159]
	SAC	—	C57BL/6 mice	Alleviated clinical symptoms; improved TNF-α, IL-17, ADNP, MAP1LC3A, and MMP-9 levels	[160]
	SAC	—	MISD in mice	Inhibited TNF-α-induced activation of p38, JNK, and NF-κβ pathways	[161]
	Kaempferol	0.46 g	OVA-sensitized guinea pigs	Decreased histamine and leukotrienes; increased PGE2	[162]
	Amentoflavone	—	Mouse ear and rat paw edema	Inhibited phospholipase A2 and cyclooxygenase pathway	[163]
	Quercetin	30 mg/kg	Bone marrow-derived mast cells	Decrease allergen-induced airway hyper responsiveness, Th2 responses in the lung, lung eosinophilia, and goblet cell metaplasia	[164]
	Kaempferol	10 or 20 μM	Knee osteoarthritic rats	Decreased TNF-α, IL-1β, and MDA levels	[165]
	Kaempferol	25, 50, 100, and 200 μm	Rat articular chondrocytes cultures	Reduced interleukin-1β-stimulated proinflammatory mediators by inhibiting the NF-κβ pathway	[166]
	FFR + onion	150 and 400 mg/kg/d	Wistar rats	Decreased heart ENOS and VCAM-1	[125]
	Kaempferol	2 mg/kg/day or 10 mg/kg/day	Rat gingival tissues	Reduced INOS and TNF-α expression and nuclear p6; increased cytosolic p65; downregulated Erk, p38, JNK, and NIK/IKK expression	[167]
	Quercetin and kaempferol	10 and 20 μM	Rbl-2h3 intestinal cells	Inhibited the secretion of TNF-α and IL-4 in antigen-stimulated RBL-2H3 cells	[41]
	SAC	10 to 600 µmol/L	Splenocytes of asthmatic mice	Inhibited TNF-α-induced inflammation in HaCaT cells	[141]
	Thiosulfonates	100 mg/kg	Guinea pig model of asthma	Inhibited inflammatory cell influx by thiosulfinates	[95]
	Kaempferol	1–20 μmol/l	Asthmatic mice	Inhibited eosinophil adhesion to TNF-α-activated airway epithelium	[140]
	Kaempferol	0.22 μm	BALB/c mice	Inhibited IL-4-induced transcription factor STAT6 activation by specifically targeting Janus kinase 3	[139]
	Polygonum tinctorium Lour.	0.2, 2, or 20 mg/kg	OVA-induced mouse asthma	Reduced caspase-1 activity in nasal mucosa, IL-32, and IL-8	[168]
	Kaempferol	20 μm	BALB/c mice model of asthma	Suppressed LPS-induced IL-8 through the TLR4 activation; inhibited eotaxin-1 induction	[169]
	Kaempferol	—	LPS-stimulated THP-1 cells	Suppressed LPS-induced MDC, IP-10, IL-8, Th1, Th2, and neutrophil-related chemokines	[170]
	Kaempferol		Mouse model of asthma	Deceased inflammatory cell invasion, goblet cell hyperplasia, mucus secretion, regulated TNF-α, IL-4, IL-5, and IL-13	[171]
	Quercetin	40 μM	Allergic asthma	Inhibited rat tracheal contractility	[59]
	Quercetin	8 or 16 mg/kg	Allergic asthma BALB/c	Decreased allergic airway inflammation and hyperresponsiveness; improved Th1/Th2 balance via the suppression of GATA-3 and increase of T-bet expression	[32]
	Quercetin	25 mg/kg	Allergic asthma BALB/c	Inhibited nasal rubbing movements and sneezing	[172]
	Quercetin	20 mg/kg	Allergic asthma BALB/c	Inhibited nasal symptoms; increased TRX levels in nasal lavage fluids	[173]
Clin	A. cepa extract	Onion juice 52 g	Neuronal cell oxidative stress	Improved clinical symptoms; increased phagocytic and intracellular killing activities of PMNs and CD8 counts	[81]
	A. cepa extract	—	Allergic rhinitis	Reduced IgE and eosinophil count in nasal discharge; stabilized mast cell membranes	[127]
	A. cepa extract	—	Allergic disorders	Relieving perennial allergic rhinitis symptoms; increased phagocytic and intracellular killing activities of PMNs and CD8 counts	[174]
	A. cepa extract	50 g	Allergic induction	Severe allergic reactions induced by cooked onion	[175]
	A. cepa extract	—	Allergic hypersensitivity	Improved clinical symptoms	[128]

Ref.: references, Exp: experimental, Clin: clinical, IFN-γ: interferon- γ, TNF-α: tumor necrosis factor-α, BALF: bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, EPO: eosinophil peroxidase, BAL: bronchoalveolar lavage, MDA: malondialdehyde, NO₂: nitrite, NO₃: nitrate, SOD: superoxide dismutase, CAT: catalase, TC: total cholesterol, LDL-C: low-density lipoproteins, TG: triglycerides, HDL-C: high-density lipoproteins, PPAR γ: peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ, TSM: tracheal smooth muscle, i.p.: intraperitoneally, MMP-9: matrix metalloproteinase 9, MAP1LC3A: microtubule-associated proteins 1 A/1 B light chain 3A, ADNP: activity-dependent neuroprotector homeobox, ENOS: endothelial nitric oxide synthase, VCAM-1: vascular cell adhesion molecule-1, IL-17: interleukin 17, PGE2: prostaglandin E2, LTB4: leukotriene B4, THP-1: human monocytic cell line, OVA: ovalbumin, C57BL: C57 black 6, LPS: lipopolysaccharide, SAC: S-allyl cysteine, and MISD: multiple inflammatory skin diseases.