Background: Quercetin inhibits the histamine release from activated mast cells. Our previous study revealed that the exposure of mast cells to quercetin for 24 hours resulted in an increased release of β-hexosaminidase. Here, we investigated the treatment duration-dependent efficiencies of quercetin on the activations of mast cells.
Methods: Rat basophilic leukemia cells (RBL-2H3 cells) were pre-treated with 1µM quercetin for 0 (control), 1 and 24 hours and the degranulation of mast cells was evaluated. A comprehensive transcriptome analysis was also performed in 1h-, 12h-, and 24h-quercetin-treated RBL-2H3 cells.
Results: A inhibitory effect of quercetin was confirmed in quercetin-treated mast cells with a pre-treatment duration of 1 h. On the other hand, an increase in the activity of mast cells was observed in quercetin-treated mast cells with 24 h pre-treatment period in a dose-dependent manner, compared with those in control cells. The difference in the expression of genes revealed a relationship between the pre-treatment duration of quercetin and cellular activation, such as, but not limited to calcium signaling pathway and FcεRI signaling pathway.
Conclusions: A diversity of functional responses of cultured mast cells to quercetin treatment was observed in the current study. Further study is required for elucidation of treatment duration-dependent efficacy in systemic response of allergic models.