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Torularhodin Attenuates Allergic Asthma Aggravated by Nanoplastics by Modulating the Gut-Lung Axis and PLA2/TRPV1-NF-κB Pathway
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Tiny plastic particles from food packaging can make asthma worse by disrupting the gut and lungs together, but this mouse study found that torularhodin, a natural pigment from red yeast, helped calm that inflammation and repair the gut lining. It worked by boosting helpful gut bacteria and blocking inflammatory signals, suggesting it could one day be used as a food-based ingredient to help protect people exposed to microplastics from worsened allergic asthma. That said, this research was done in mice, so more studies are needed before we know if it works the same way in humans.
ABSTRACT Polystyrene nanoparticles (PS-NPs), ubiquitous food-packaging contaminants, can exacerbate allergic asthma via the gut–lung axis. Torularhodin, a natural carotenoid from red yeast, is known to modulate gut microbiota and metabolism. Using an ovalbumin (OVA)-induced asthma mouse model aggravated by PS-NPs, we investigated the protective effects of torularhodin. Torularhodin markedly attenuated airway inflammation and hyperresponsiveness, improved lung histopathology, reduced oxidative stress, and suppressed Th2 immune responses. Mechanistically, torularhodin downregulated total phospholipase A2 (PLA2), inhibited TRPV1 and NF-κB signaling, and alleviated neurogenic inflammation. It also restored intestinal barrier integrity, reshaped gut microbiota composition by increasing Lachnospiraceae_UCG-006 and Limosilactobacillus , and modulated metabolic pathways associated with microbial homeostasis. By modulating lipid, nucleotide, and endocannabinoid pathways, torularhodin attenuated the TLR4 inflammatory cascade and excessive activation of the PLA2/TRPV1/NF-κB axis, which may be linked to the improved intestinal barrier. These findings build upon the established gut-lung pathogenic framework, highlighting torularhodin's potential as a functional food component to mitigate asthma risk associated with nanoplastic exposure.
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