Abstract
Introduction: Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the airways often characterized by airway remodeling and influx of inflammatory cells into the airways. Saffron (C. sativus) has been reported to possess anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic and immunomodulatory properties. Salbutamol is known to relax airway smooth muscles. Objective: To investigate the combined anti-asthmatic effect of C. sativus extract (CSE) and salbutamol in an ovalbumin (OVA)-induced asthma in rats. Materials and methods: Airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) was induced in male Sprague-Dawley rats by OVA challenge and treated with CSE (30 mg/kg and 60 mg/kg i.p.) and salbutamol (0.5 mg/kg p.o) for 28 days. After the induction period, various hematological, biochemical, molecular (ELISA) and histological analyses were performed. Results: OVA-induced alterations observed in hematological parameters (total and differential cell counts observed in Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid (BALF) were significantly attenuated (p < 0.01) by CSE (30 mg/kg and 60 mg/kg) and salbutamol (0.5 mg/kg). The treatment combination also significantly decreased (p < 0.01) the levels of total protein and albumin in serum, BALF and lung tissues. Treatment with CSE and salbutamol significantly attenuated (p < 0.01) increase in OVA induced Th2 cytokine levels (TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-4, IL-13). Histopathological analysis of lung tissue showed that combined effect of CSE and salbutamol treatment ameliorated OVA-induced inflammatory influx and ultrastructural aberrations. Conclusion: The results obtained from this study show that the combined effect of CSE and salbutamol exhibited anti-asthmatic properties via its anti-inflammatory effect and by alleviating Th2 mediated immune response. Thus, this treatment combination could be considered as a new therapeutic strategy for management of asthma.
Highlights
Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the airways often characterized by airway remodeling and influx of inflammatory cells into the airways
The present study aims to investigate the combined effect of saffron extract and Salbutamol in an ovalbumin-induced rat model of asthma
Data from the present study indicate that treatment combination of saffron extract and salbutamol decreased the levels of TNF-α and IL-1β in lung tissue as compared to negative control group, showing its anti-inflammatory potential against allergen-induced immunoinflammatory disease
Summary
Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the airways often characterized by airway remodeling and influx of inflammatory cells into the airways. Conclusion: The results obtained from this study show that the combined effect of CSE and salbutamol exhibited anti-asthmatic properties via its anti-inflammatory effect and by alleviating Th2 mediated immune response This treatment combination could be considered as a new therapeutic strategy for management of asthma. Asthma is a complex heterogeneous chronic disease that affects people of diverse age groups It is characterized by three main features: (1) Chronic inflammation of the airways (2) Variable airflow obstruction (3) Airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR). Other characteristic features include airway constriction, increased mucus production, reversible bronchospasm, multicellular inflammation and airway remodeling Inflammatory mediators such as eosinophils, neutrophils, mast cells, T lymphocytes, and dendritic cells play a major role in the development of asthma [2]. Influx of eosinophils into the airways can cause epithelial damage, exudation of plasma wall, airway wall and basement membrane thickening [3,4]
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