Abstract
Objectives This study sought to examine whether ligustrazine was capable of inhibiting phosphodiesterase (PDE) activity and improving lung function in a rat model of asthma. Methods Rats were initially sensitized using ovalbumin (OVA) and then were challenged daily with aerosolized OVA beginning 14 days later (30 min/day) to generate a rat model of asthma. Changes in airway function following methacholine (MCh) injection were evaluated by monitoring lung resistance (RL) and dynamic lung compliance (Cdyn) values using an AniRes2005 analytic system. In addition, serum IgE was measured via ELISA, while PDE expression was evaluated via qPCR and western blotting. Key Findings. Ligustrazine significantly impaired allergen-induced lung hyperresponsivity and inflammation in this asthma model system. Ligustrazine treatment was also associated with reduced expression of PDEs including PDE4 in the lungs of these rats. Conclusions Ligustrazine suppresses airway inflammation and bronchial hyperresponsivity in this rat model system, and these changes are associated with decreased PDE expression at the protein and mRNA levels.
Highlights
Asthma is a very common form of respiratory disease wherein immunological dysfunction can lead to chronic airway inflammation, leading to aberrant airway constriction, mucus production, and breathing difficulties in affected individuals
This inflammation coincides with inflammatory activity linked to cAMP degradation [3] and the production of characteristic cytokines produced by type 2 helper T cells (Th2 cells) [4]
Treatment with theophylline and dexamethasone significantly decreased airway hyperreactivity in these OVA-sensitized rats (P < 0:05) (Figure 2(b)). This may suggest that ligustrazine can reduce airway hyperresponsiveness in an asthma model system via suppressing the inflammation associated with OVA sensitization and subsequent aerosolized OVA challenge
Summary
Asthma is a very common form of respiratory disease wherein immunological dysfunction can lead to chronic airway inflammation, leading to aberrant airway constriction, mucus production, and breathing difficulties in affected individuals. Asthma and associated inflammation are closely associated with the infiltration of inflammatory cells including neutrophils and eosinophils into the airways. This inflammation coincides with inflammatory activity linked to cAMP degradation [3] and the production of characteristic cytokines produced by type 2 helper T cells (Th2 cells) [4]. Asthma symptoms can generally be managed effectively using combinations of corticosteroids and β2 agonists, but no cures for this condition are available at present. This has led many researchers to explore the potential value of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) to treat asthma. There has been increasing interest in the pursuit of more evidence-based studies of TCM in an effort to narrow the information gap pertaining to these treatments, thereby offering patients potential treatments that may yield better therapeutic outcomes [5,6,7]
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