Qin Lilan, Lan Yuying, Sun Jian, Zhang Beiqi, Xie Peitao, Zheng Jinghui, Ma Shuran
School of Pharmacy, Guangxi University of Chinese Medicine, Nanning, China.
School of Zhuang Medicine, Guangxi University of Chinese Medicine, Nanning, China.
Neuro Endocrinol Lett. 2017 Jul;38(3):187-198.
Modified Guomin Decoction (MGD) is an effective Chinese herbal medicine for treatment of various allergic diseases, especially allergic asthma. Its water decoction is conventionally used for treatment of allergic bronchitis in China. Up to date, the underlying mechanisms of this herbal combination have not been fully investigated yet.
In the in vivo study, the mice were treated with Chicken egg ovalbumin (OVA) and aluminum hydroxide gel as the classic allergic asthma animal model. After treatment with MGD, the lung tissues were examined by Histological assessment. The flow cytometric analysis was used to classify the CD4+ T-cell subsets. RT-PCR, Real time fluorescence quota PCR and Western blotting were used to analyze the gene expression of IL-4, IL-5, IFN-γ T-bet/GAIA-3 and Foxp3 in lung tissues.
MGD significantly reduced ovalbumin-specific IgE production in mouse serum and suppressed inflammatory cell infiltration, thus, improved the asthma symptoms. The mechanistic studies indicated that MGD treatment mainly modified the differentiation of CD4+ T-cell subsets and improved their functions. These included that MGD enhanced the proportion of Th1-cell, reduced Th2-cell subsets to CD4+ cell and balanced Treg/Th17 cell populations in the asthmatic mice spleen tissues. For Th1-cells, MGD upregulated the gene expression of their cytokine IFN-γ and its transcription factor T-bet while it downregulated the gene expression of their cytokines of IL-4 and IL-5. For Th2-cells, MGD mainly downregulated its transcription factor GATA-3 in lung tissues of asthmatic mice. MGD suppressed the Th17-cell subsets in CD4+ cells and upregulated the expression of Foxp3, a specific transcription factor of Treg-cell.
加味过敏煎是治疗多种过敏性疾病，尤其是过敏性哮喘的一种有效中药。在中国，其水煎剂传统上用于治疗过敏性支气管炎。迄今为止，这种中药复方的潜在机制尚未得到充分研究。
在体内研究中，用鸡卵白蛋白（OVA）和氢氧化铝凝胶处理小鼠，作为经典的过敏性哮喘动物模型。用加味过敏煎治疗后，通过组织学评估检查肺组织。采用流式细胞术分析对CD4 + T细胞亚群进行分类。采用RT-PCR、实时荧光定量PCR和蛋白质印迹法分析肺组织中IL-4、IL-5、IFN-γ、T-bet/GATA-3和Foxp3的基因表达。
加味过敏煎显著降低小鼠血清中卵白蛋白特异性IgE的产生，抑制炎症细胞浸润，从而改善哮喘症状。机制研究表明，加味过敏煎治疗主要改变CD4 + T细胞亚群的分化并改善其功能。这些包括加味过敏煎提高了Th1细胞的比例，降低了哮喘小鼠脾脏组织中CD4 +细胞的Th2细胞亚群，并平衡了Treg/Th17细胞群。对于Th1细胞，加味过敏煎上调其细胞因子IFN-γ及其转录因子T-bet的基因表达，同时下调其细胞因子IL-4和IL-5的基因表达。对于Th2细胞，加味过敏煎主要下调哮喘小鼠肺组织中其转录因子GATA-3的表达。加味过敏煎抑制CD4 +细胞中的Th17细胞亚群，并上调Treg细胞特异性转录因子Foxp3的表达。
