RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: Macmoondongtang has been used as a traditional medicine to treat pulmonary disease in Korea. However, the mechanism underlying its therapeutic effect has yet to be reported. In the present study, the role of macmoondongtang as a respiratory medicine, especially as an anti-asthmatic agent, has been attributed to the down-regulation of interleukin (IL)-4 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α. MATERIALS & METHODS: BALB/c mice were divided into five groups: control, asthma-induced control, dexamethasone treatment, treatment with 150 mg/kg macmoondongtang, and treatment with 1500 mg/kg macmoondongtang. To evaluate the anti-asthmatic effect of macmoondongtang, we investigated its suppressive or inhibitory effects against typical asthmatic changes such as differential cell count in bronchioalveolar fluid (BALF), serum IgE levels, lung morphology, expression of Th1/Th2 cell transcription factors such as T-bet and GATA-3, and Th1-/Th2-/Th17-related cytokines such as interferon (IFN)-γ, IL-12p40, IL-4, -5, -13, TNF-α, and IL-6. The active ingredients in macmoondongtang were further analyzed. RESULTS: Macmoondongtang treatment down-regulated serum IgE level, a very important marker of hyper-responsiveness. It reversed typical morphological changes such as mucous hypersecretion, lung epithelial cell hyperplasia, and inflammatory cell infiltration near bronchioalveolar space and veins. Macmoondongtang significantly decreased neutrophil count in BALF, as well as reduced T-bet, IFN-γ, and TNF-α expression in the lung. It also showed a dose-dependent control of inflammatory cells in BALF, controlled the expression of IL-12, IL-4, and IL-5 genes in the lung, and the protein expression of IL12p40, GATA-3, IL-4, IL-5, and IL-13. The component analysis revealed glycyrrhizin and liquiritin as the active ingredients. CONCLUSIONS: Macmoondongtang treatment alleviates asthma symptoms and modulate the Th1-/Th2- related cytokines. Glycyrrhizin and liquiritin could be the major the active therapeutic components.
Assuntos
Asma/tratamento farmacológico , Citocinas/metabolismo , Células Th1/efeitos dos fármacos , Células Th1/metabolismo , Células Th2/efeitos dos fármacos , Células Th2/metabolismo , Animais , Asma/imunologia , Lavagem Broncoalveolar , Modelos Animais de Doenças , Relação Dose-Resposta a Droga , Feminino , Regulação da Expressão Gênica/efeitos dos fármacos , Camundongos , Camundongos Endogâmicos BALB C , Células Th1/imunologia , Células Th2/imunologiaRESUMO
In 2013, WHO estimated that approximately 235 million people suffered from asthma worldwide. Asthma is a hyper responsive disorder, which is related to an imbalance between the Thelper type 1 and 2 cells (henceforth, Th1 and Th2, respectively). Allium hookeri is a plant that is widely used for culinary purposes and also in traditional Asian medicine. The present study was conducted to elucidate the antiasthmatic effects and mechanism of action of A. hookeri root extracts (AHRE) in an ovalbumin (OVA)induced asthma mouse model. The mice were divided into five groups, namely, the control, the OVAtreated group, the dexamethasonetreated group, the 30 mg/kg AHREtreated group, and the 300 mg/kg AHREtreated group. The total WBC count and the differential cell count in the bronchoalveolar fluid, the level of serum IgE, the histopathological changes in the lung, and changes in the cell surface molecules, the asthmarelated cytokine levels, and Th cell transcription factors were evaluated. AHRE significantly ameliorated asthmatic changes, such as the total WBC count, eosinophil count, and the level of IgE; in addition, it reduced mucus hypersecretion, epithelial hyperplasia, and eosinophil infiltration in the lungs. AHRE significantly inhibited the expression of CD68+ cells and MHC class II+ molecules, Th1 cell transcription factor (Tbet) activation, Th2 cell transcription factor (GATA3) activation, and TNFα in the lung tissue. Furthermore, it suppressed cell surface molecules, such as CD4+and CD8+; Th1related cytokines, such as IFNγ and IL12p40; Th2related cytokines, such as IL4 and IL5; and Th17related cytokines, such as IL6 and TNFα, in a dosedependent manner. Thus, AHRE may be considered a promising antiasthmatic drug.
Assuntos
Allium/química , Asma , Imunomodulação/efeitos dos fármacos , Ovalbumina/toxicidade , Extratos Vegetais , Raízes de Plantas/química , Células Th1 , Células Th2 , Animais , Asma/induzido quimicamente , Asma/tratamento farmacológico , Asma/imunologia , Asma/patologia , Citocinas/imunologia , Modelos Animais de Doenças , Feminino , Camundongos , Camundongos Endogâmicos BALB C , Extratos Vegetais/química , Extratos Vegetais/farmacologia , Células Th1/imunologia , Células Th1/patologia , Células Th2/imunologia , Células Th2/patologiaRESUMO
The objective of this study was to examine the effects of Jackyakgamcho-tang (JGT) on acute colitis. GC/MS-based metabolomics and NGS-based metagenomics were applied to investigate the alteration of metabolites and microbiota in an acute colitis model. The severity of acute colitis symptoms was alleviated by JGT treatment. Induction of colitis and JGT treatment changed compositions of gut microbiota and inflammatory cytokine levels (TNF-α and IL-6). They also substantially change metabolites (i.e., lactic acid, linoleic acid, monostearin, and palmitoylglycerol). In addition, some clear correlations were observed among metabolites, cytokine, and microbiota. This study highlights the applicability of metabolomics and metagenomics study for evaluating anti-inflammatory effects of a new functional herbal medicine as a therapeutic agent for acute colitis.
RESUMO
GC/MS coupled with multivariate statistical analysis was performed to identify marker metabolites in serum of mice after healing ovalbumin- (OVA-) induced asthma using Opuntia humifusa. Principal component analysis (PCA) score plot showed separation among groups, with metabolite profiles of serum showing differences according to various treatments for the asthma murine model. Levels of stearic acid and arachidic acid were significantly lower in the serum from OVA-induced group than those from the control group. Dexamethasone treatment group was characterized by higher serum levels of urea, myristic acid, and palmitic acid along with lower levels of aspartic acid compared to OVA-induced group. O. humifusa treatment mice groups showed dose-proportional higher levels of urea and glycerol than OVA-induced group. These results highlight that GC/MS-based metabolomics is a powerful technique for identifying molecular markers of asthma.