Tropical Journal of Pharmaceutical Research

Original Research Article | OPEN ACCESS

Effects of tMa-Xin-Di-Tan decoction on ovalbumin-induced allergic asthma in mice

Yazun Liu^1,2, Wanchao Xu^1,2, Xi Ming^1,2, Xinguang Zhan¹, Li Bai¹, Zheng Xue¹ , Jianer Yu¹

¹Department of Pediatrics, The Affiliated Shanghai Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital of Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 200071; ²Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, PR China.

For correspondence:- Zheng Xue Email: yz1041857257@126.com

Accepted: 18 April 2018 Published: 28 May 2018

Citation: Liu Y, Xu W, Ming X, Zhan X, Bai L, Xue Z, et al. Effects of tMa-Xin-Di-Tan decoction on ovalbumin-induced allergic asthma in mice. Trop J Pharm Res 2018; 17(5):803-808 doi: 10.4314/tjpr.v17i5.8

© 2018 The authors.
This is an Open Access article that uses a funding model which does not charge readers or their institutions for access and distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0) and the Budapest Open Access Initiative (http://www.budapestopenaccessinitiative.org/read), which permit unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly credited..

Abstract

Purpose: To investigate the effect of the Ma-Xin-Di-Tan (MXDT) decoction on ovalbumin-induced allergic asthma (AA) in mice.

Methods: Asthma was induced in mice by ovalbumin (OVA) injection, and different doses of MXDT (150, 300, and 600 mg/kg/day) were administered orally for 28 days. Pathological changes in lung tissues were examined, while levels of cytokines, including interleukin (IL)-4, IL-6, IL-17, interferon (IFN)-γ, and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β, were determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) of the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. Toll-like receptor (TLR)-4, GATA-binding protein (GATA)-3, Ox40 ligand (OX40L), indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO), forkhead box P3 (Foxp3), and T box expressed in T cells (T-bet) levels were determined in lung tissues by western blot analysis.

Results: MXDT inhibited the inflammatory reaction of lung tissues in OVA-challenged mice. After treatment with MXDT, levels of IL-4, IL-6, IL-17, and TGF-β were downregulated, whereas IFN-γ levels were upregulated. In addition, MXDT decreased TLR-4, GATA-3, and OX40L levels in lung tissues but increased the expression of Foxp3, T-bet, and IDO.

Conclusion: MXDT has antiallergic effects on OVA-induced AA in mice; the possible molecular mechanisms might involve the inhibition of inflammatory reactions and modulation of Th1/Th2 cytokine balance.

Keywords: Ma-Xin-Di-Tan decoction, Allergic asthma, Inflammatory reactions, Th1/Th2