Antiasthmatic Activity and Selective Inhibition of Type 2 Helper T cell Response by Aqueous Extract of Semen Armeniacae Amarum

Semen armeniacae amarum (SAA) has long been used to control asthma in Korean traditional medicine. However, its antiasthmatic action still remains poorly understood. In the current study, effective mechanism of SAA was investigated in a mouse model of allergic asthma induced by repeated sensitizatio...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Immunopharmacology and immunotoxicology 2006, Vol.28 (2), p.213-225
Main Authors: Do, Jeong-Su, Hwang, Jin-Ki, Seo, Hyo-Jung, Woo, Won-Hong, Nam, Sang-Yun
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Airway Hyperreactivity
Airway Inflammation
Animals
Anti-Asthmatic Agents - chemistry
Anti-Asthmatic Agents - pharmacology
Asthma - drug therapy
Asthma - immunology
Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid - immunology
Cytokine
Interferon-gamma - immunology
Interleukin-4 - immunology
Mice
Mice, Inbred BALB C
Phytotherapy
Plant Extracts - chemistry
Plant Extracts - pharmacology
Prunus - chemistry
Semen Armeniacae Amarum
Th1 Cells - immunology
Th1/2
Th2 Cells - immunology
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Semen armeniacae amarum (SAA) has long been used to control asthma in Korean traditional medicine. However, its antiasthmatic action still remains poorly understood. In the current study, effective mechanism of SAA was investigated in a mouse model of allergic asthma induced by repeated sensitization and intranasal challenge with OVA. Airway hyperreactivity (AHR) measured by -methacoline-induced airflow obstruction and airway recruitment of leukocytes including eosinophils were significantly reduced by oral treatment of SAA water extract. Level of interleukin (IL)-4, but not Interferon gamma (IFN- ), in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) also appeared considerably lower in SAA-treated mice than in controls. Collectively, these data show that SAA suppresses type 2 helper T cell (Th2), but not type 1 helper T cell (Th1), response. This hypothesis was supported further by the data of ex vivo cytokine production of peribronchial lymph node cells. Thus, oral administration of SAA attenuates asthmatic manifestations including AHR and airway inflammation, which possibly result from selective inhibition of Th2 response to allergen. Our data strongly suggest that SAA may be effectively applied to control other Th2-related diseases as well as allergic asthma.
ISSN:0892-3973
1532-2513
DOI:10.1080/08923970600815253