Coumarins and Their Derivatives in Animal Models of Asthma: A Systematic Review

Asthma is a serious global health issue that affects millions of people worldwide. It is a heterogeneous disease characterized by inflammation, bronchial hyperresponsiveness and airway remodelling. Compounds from the coumarin class have been extensively documented in the literature as promising agents for asthma treatment. This review highlights the potential of coumarins and their effects in animal models of asthma. Articles from the past 10 years (2014-2024) were selected according to the guidelines of the PRISMA from the PubMed, Virtual Health Library (BVS) and ScienceDirect databases. The search strategy utilized descriptors from the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) and Descriptors in Health Sciences (DeCS) databases. Were selected 18 articles after applying the inclusion criteria: full-text articles published in English and Portuguese, freely accessible and investigating coumarins and their derivatives with antiasthmatic activity. The coumarins most explored by the authors were imperatorin and osthole, and the results showed that these coumarins relax airway smooth muscle, reduce inflammation and the release of Th2 cytokines IL-4, IL-5 and IL-13 and increase protection against inflammation through pro-inflammatory cells, Th1, macrophages and dendritic cells. Thus, it is concluded that coumarins and their effects, particularly imperatorin and osthole, present a promising potential in asthma management and could serve as important molecular scaffolds for future investigations.