Effects of green soybean extracts on allergy and inflammation

Abstract

Hot water extracts of green soybean, Glycine max (WEGS) significantly decreased the levels of ovalbumin (OVA)-specific IgE in mice andsignificantly suppressedtoluene diisocyanate-inducednasal mucosa secretion. An open-label human pilot study including 16 subjects with Japanese cedar pollinosis (JCP) was conducted. The symptom scores for JCP were better in the long-term WEGS intake group than in the short-term intake group. WEGS have great potential as an orally active immune modulator for the treatment of various allergic diseases. We conducteda preliminary investigation of the effects of visible light irradiation on plant extracts, andobserveda strong suppressive effect on interleukin (IL)-2 expression in Jurkat cells following treatment with visible lightirradiated ethanol extract from green soybeans (LIEGS). This effect was produced only by extracts from green soybeans and not soybeans of other colors. LIEGS suppressed lipopolysaccharide-induced IL-6, IL-12, and TNF-α expression levels in human monocyte THP-1 cells in a concentration-dependent manner. LIEGS suppressed the development of atopic dermatitis-like skin lesions and reduced the dermatitis scores of NC/Nga mice.