Department of Integrative Medicine, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, 12 Middle Urumqi Road, Shanghai, China.
Int Immunopharmacol. 2013 Jan;15(1):42-9. doi: 10.1016/j.intimp.2012.11.009. Epub 2012 Nov 24.
Astragalus membranaceus (AM), a traditional Chinese medicinal herb, has been widely used for centuries to treat asthma in China. Previous studies demonstrated that AM had inhibitory effects on airway hyperresponsiveness, inflammation and airway remodeling in murine models of asthma. However, it remained unclear whether the beneficial effects of AM on asthma were associated with CD4(+)CD25(+)Foxp3(+) Treg cells; this issue is the focus of the present work. An asthma model was established in Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats that were sensitized and challenged with ovalbumin. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) was assessed for inflammatory cell counts and cytokine levels. Airway hyperresponsiveness was detected by direct airway resistance analysis. Lung tissues were examined for cell infiltration, mucus hypersecretion and airway remodeling. CD4(+)CD25(+)Foxp3(+) Treg cells in the BALF and Foxp3 mRNA expression in lung tissues were examined. The oral administration of AM significantly reduced airway hyperresponsiveness to aerosolized methacholine and inhibited eosinophil counts and reduced IL-4, IL-5 and IL-13 levels and increased INF-γ levels in the BALF. Histological studies showed that AM markedly decreased inflammatory infiltration, mucus secretion and collagen deposition in the lung tissues. Notably, AM significantly increased population of CD4(+)CD25(+)Foxp3(+) Treg cells and promoted Foxp3(+) mRNA expression in a rat model of asthma. Together, these results suggest that the antiasthmatic effects of AM are at least partially associated with CD4(+)CD25(+)Foxp3(+) Tregs.
黄芪（AM）是一种传统的中药，已被广泛用于治疗中国的哮喘已有几个世纪。先前的研究表明，AM 对哮喘的气道高反应性、炎症和气道重塑具有抑制作用。然而，其对哮喘的有益作用是否与 CD4+CD25+Foxp3+Treg 细胞有关仍不清楚；这是本工作的重点。本研究通过卵清蛋白致敏和激发建立了 SD 大鼠哮喘模型。评估支气管肺泡灌洗液（BALF）中的炎症细胞计数和细胞因子水平。通过直接气道阻力分析检测气道高反应性。检查肺组织中的细胞浸润、黏液高分泌和气道重塑。检测 BALF 中的 CD4+CD25+Foxp3+Treg 细胞和肺组织中 Foxp3 mRNA 的表达。AM 的口服给药可显著降低雾化乙酰甲胆碱引起的气道高反应性，抑制嗜酸性粒细胞计数，并降低 BALF 中 IL-4、IL-5 和 IL-13 的水平，增加 INF-γ 的水平。组织学研究表明，AM 可显著减少肺组织中的炎症浸润、黏液分泌和胶原沉积。值得注意的是，AM 可显著增加哮喘大鼠模型中 CD4+CD25+Foxp3+Treg 细胞的数量，并促进 Foxp3+mRNA 的表达。综上所述，这些结果表明 AM 的抗哮喘作用至少部分与 CD4+CD25+Foxp3+Tregs 有关。
