Abstract
The study was the first time to establish and compare two rat models of two common syndromes: Kidney Yang Deficiency syndrome (KYDS) in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and abnormal savda syndrome (ASS) in traditional Uighur medicine (TUM). Then, we also established and evaluated rat models of combining disease and syndrome models of asthma with KYDS or ASS. Results showed that usage of the high dose of corticosterone (CORT) injection or external factors could successfully establish the KYDS or ASS rat models, and the two models had similar changes in biological characterization, abnormal behaviors, dysfunction of hypothalamic-pituitary-target organ axes (HPTOA), and sympathetic/parasympathetic (S/P) nerve system but varied in different degrees. The rat models of combining disease and syndrome of asthma with KYDS or ASS had either pathological characteristics of asthma such as airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR), airway inflammation, airway remodeling, which were more serious than allergy exposure alone, or the syndrome performance of Kidney Yang Deficiency in TCM and abnormal savda in TUM. These findings provide a biological rationale for further investigation of combining disease and syndrome model of asthma as an effective animal model for exploring asthma based on the theory of traditional medicine.
Highlights
Asthma has become one of the most common health problems in the world, especially within industrialized societies [1,2,3], where underlying mechanisms are not yet completely understood
The main interest of researchers was concentrated on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPAA) of asthmatics that were on long-term treatment with inhaled corticosteroid (ICS); subsequently, a growing number of studies recognized that asthmatic patients not treated with ICS were likely to have an attenuated activity and/or responsiveness of their HPAA [8, 9]
Body weight had been slightly increased in the KYDSA, and ASSA groups during allergy exposure compared to those groups without allergy exposure (P < 0.05, Figure 2(c)), but there was still significant difference with the NC group (P < 0.05, Figure 2(b))
Summary
Asthma has become one of the most common health problems in the world, especially within industrialized societies [1,2,3], where underlying mechanisms are not yet completely understood. The hypothesis that immune factors lead to airway inflammation cannot show the whole picture of asthma. The anti-inflammatory effect of endogenous glucocorticoids released by the activated hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPAA) attracts scientists’ attention. A low HPAA activity in allergic patients has been reported in a large number of clinical trials [6, 7]. The main interest of researchers was concentrated on the HPAA of asthmatics that were on long-term treatment with inhaled corticosteroid (ICS); subsequently, a growing number of studies recognized that asthmatic patients not treated with ICS were likely to have an attenuated activity and/or responsiveness of their HPAA [8, 9]. Researchers found that asthma was closely related to neuroendocrine-immune (NEI) network dysfunction [10, 11]
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