Qu Feng Xuan Bi Formula attenuates anaphylactic rhinitis-asthma symptoms via reducing EOS count and regulating T cell function in rat ARA models

Opposite effects of sevoflurane at high and low concentration on the airway inflammation in juvenile asthma rats: A TMT-based proteomics analysis study

BACKGROUND

The incidence of sevoflurane-related adverse respiratory events in children with asthma is notably high. During different phases of sevoflurane anesthesia, asthmatic children's airways are exposed to varying concentrations of the anesthetic. However, the specific effects of different concentrations of sevoflurane on the developing airways with asthmatic hyperreactivity have not been systematically studied.

METHODS

An ovalbumin (OVA)-induced juvenile rat asthma model was established to evaluate the impact of varying sevoflurane concentrations on airway irritation symptoms, ventilation, pathological scoring, and inflammation. Tandem mass tag (TMT)-based quantitative proteomics and bioinformatics analyses were conducted, with key protein expressions validated by western blot.

RESULTS

Sevoflurane alleviated airway irritation symptoms in OVA-treated rats in a concentration-dependent manner. At 3.2 %, sevoflurane significantly reduced peribronchial inflammation, while 0.4 % sevoflurane exacerbated hypoxia, peribronchial injury, and inflammation. Proteomic analysis identified 54 overlapping differentially expressed proteins (DEPs), with three (serine protease inhibitor (SerpinA3L), major histocompatibility complex 1 (MHC1), and major histocompatibility complex 2 (MHC2)) being upregulated in the 3.2 % sevoflurane group but downregulated in the 0.4 % sevoflurane group. DEPs were predominantly linked to lysosomal and phagosomal pathways, as well as antigen processing and presentation. Three key hub proteins-cathepsin (CAT), vav guanine nucleotide exchange factor 1 (VAV1), and C-reactive protein (CRP)-were identified, and their expression levels were validated, matching the bioinformatics analysis results.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings demonstrate that sevoflurane exerts opposing effects on the airways of juvenile asthmatic rats, depending on the concentration. MHC1, MHC2, and VAV1 emerged as crucial mediators of these differential effects, suggesting their potential as targets for understanding sevoflurane's impact on asthmatic airways.

Integrated analysis of metabolome, lipidome, and gut microbiome reveals the immunomodulation of Astragali radix in healthy human subjects

BACKGROUND

As a typical medicinal food homology species, Chinese herbal medicine Astragali radix (AR) has been widely used to regulate the human immune system worldwide. However, the human immunomodulation of AR and its corresponding mechanisms remain unclear.

METHODS

First, following a fortnight successive AR administration, the changes in immune cytokines and immune cells from 20 healthy human subjects were used as immune indicators to characterize the immunomodulatory effects of AR. Subsequently, ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-TOF/MS) based lipidomics and metabolomics analysis was performed on human serum, urine, and feces samples to investigate the changes in metabolic profiles. Then, 16S rRNA gene sequencing of feces samples was adopted for the changes of human gut microbiota. Finally, correlation analysis was conducted on the gut microbiome, metabolome/lipidome data, and immune indicators.

RESULTS

AR displayed good safety in clinical use and posed a minor impact on gut microbiota major genera, global metabolic profiles, and immune cells. Meanwhile, AR could significantly up-regulate anti-inflammatory cytokines, down-regulate serum creatinine and pro-inflammatory cytokines, promote the anabolism of arginine, glycerolipid, sphingolipid, and purine, and the catabolism of phenylalanine and glycerophospholipid. Moreover, these AR-induced changes were closely correlated with significantly decreased Granulicatella, slightly higher Bifidobacterium, Ruminococcus, and Subdoligranulum, and slightly lower Blautia.

CONCLUSION

The study clearly demonstrated that AR could modulate the human immune, by modifying the metabolism of amino acids, lipids, and purines in a microbiota-related way. Trial registration ChiCTR, ChiCTR2100054765. Registered 26 December 2021-Prospectively registered, https://www.chictr.org.cn/historyversionpub.html?regno=ChiCTR2100054765.

Reveal the Patterns of Prescriptions for Recurrent Respiratory Tract Infections' Treatment Based on Multiple Illustrious Senior Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners

Background

Recurrent respiratory tract infections (RRTIs) are one of the most common diseases in children and adolescents. The causes of RRTIs are various. In addition to the factors related to infection, basic diseases such as respiratory system, immune system, and digestive system are also involved. The cost of patients' frequent medical treatment and hospitalization has been deemed to be a heavy burden to the society and family. In China, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is commonly used to treat RRTIs. TCM treatment has been appraised to be effective, for reducing the number of hospital stays. Illustrious senior TCM practitioners of pediatrics are recognized as a group of outstanding physicians with significantly better patient outcomes. However, different illustrious senior TCM practitioners can lead to differences in treatment strategies due to factors such as region, prescription theory, and individual differences of patients. This makes it difficult for the experience of illustrious senior TCM practitioners to be popularized. However, there have been no prescription mining studies for the treatment of RRTIs based on different and multiple illustrious senior TCM practitioners. We explored the core prescriptions and drug mechanisms through data mining based on the prescriptions of illustrious senior TCM practitioners treating RRTIs from different clinical settings. This is important to promote the effective treatment of RRTIs with TCM. The objective of this study is to reveal the strategies (core prescriptions) from the prescriptions of multiple illustrious senior TCM practitioners for the treatment of RRTIs. We hope that this core prescription can help all TCM pediatricians to improve RRTIs children's outcome. Meanwhile, it could provide a new way for researchers to study the treatment of RRTIs.

Methods

In this study, we prospectively collected 400 children's prescriptions with RRTIs receiving TCM treatment from four illustrious senior TCM practitioners in different hospitals. We described and analyzed the characteristics of TCM prescriptions. The prescription regularity was analyzed by hierarchical clustering and association rules. Network pharmacology methods has been used to reveal the pathway mechanism of core prescriptions which have been mined and visualized with the help of SymMap, Genecards, KEGG, Metascape databases, and R. The execution of all methods was completed in May 2022.

Results

According to RRTIs multiple clinical syndromes, five new prescriptions were obtained based on illustrious senior TCM practitioners. Among them, the prescription composed of Scutellariae radix (Huangqin), Armeniacae semen amarum (Kuxingren), Peucedani radix (Qianhu), and Pheretima (Dilong) is the core strategy for the treatment of RRTIs. Cold herbs and heat herbs in the core prescription are approximately equal. Scutellariae radix (Huangqin) was dominant, and other herbs exert synergistic effects. The core prescription covered 76 pathways and 226 herb-disease genes. It promotes the differentiation of Th1, Th2, and Th17 cells and the secretion of inflammatory factors through toll-like receptor signaling pathway in the immune system, T cell receptor signaling pathway, and PPAR signaling pathway in the endocrine system, thereby exerting immune regulation and anti-inflammation.

Conclusion

In this study, we revealed the prescription regularity of TCM in the treatment of RRTIs and analyzed the mechanism of core prescriptions, which provided new ideas for the treatment of RRTIs.

TiO2-DNA Nanosensor In Situ for Quick Detection of Nasal Flora in Allergic Rhinitis Patients

Background

A relevant study found that allergic rhinitis (AR) may be related to the imbalance of nasal flora. Therefore, if the nasal flora of AR patients can be detected quickly, it is of great significance to study the distribution law of nasal flora in AR patients and explore its correlation with AR.

Objective

To design a new and convenient nano-DNA sensor for quick screening of nasal flora in allergic rhinitis (AR) patients, so as to provide experimental basis for the prevention and treatment of AR.

Methods

We create a synthesized nanostructured DNA biosensor called Nano-TiO₂-DNA sensor which can be combined with samples from nasal mucosa or secretion with high efficiency and detect certain flora in situ without DNA extraction or RNA sequencing. In a physical property test, firstly, we tested the permeability, solubility, and storage temperature of nano-TiO₂, so as to provide experimental basis for the synthesis of Nano-TiO₂-DNA sensor. Subsequently, the permeability of Nano-TiO₂-DNA sensor in Staphylococcus aureus was further tested. In a clinical experiment, we selected 60 AR patients treated in our hospital from September 2020 to September 2021 as the AR group and 60 healthy people who underwent physical examination at the same time as the control group. The Nano-TiO₂-DNA sensor was used to detect typical nasal flora in AR patients, and Pearson's correlation analysis was used to explore the correlation between nasal flora with serum IgE and eosinophils.

Results

As for physicochemical characteristics, this sensor can permeate into certain bacteria directly and specifically. It has high affinity ability with a target, and the combination can be detected by evaluating the released fluorescence qualitatively and quantitatively. It can be stored at −20°C in ethyl alcohol stably. By this sensor, we have successfully detected Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and viridans streptococci in AR patients compared with healthy people, which will help these patients in the prevention of acute sinusitis and acute or subacute pneumonia. Furthermore, we found Proteus had the strongest positive correlation with AR while Actinomyces had the biggest negative correlation.

Conclusion

The Nano-TiO₂-DNA sensor will help an outpatient doctor more for quick screening certain nasal flora in AR patients and improve the prevention of AR-related complications.

Modulation of interleukin expression by medicinal plants and their secondary metabolites: A systematic review on anti-asthmatic and immunopharmacological mechanisms

BACKGROUND

Asthma is one of the most common chronic inflammatory conditions of the lungs in modern society. Asthma is associated with airway hyperresponsiveness and remodeling of the airways, with typical symptoms of cough, wheezing, shortness of breath and chest tightness. Interleukins (IL) play an integral role in its inflammatory pathogenesis. Medicinal herbs and secondary metabolites are gaining considerable attention due to their potential therapeutic role and pharmacological mechanisms as adjunct tools to synthetic bronchodilator drugs.

PURPOSE

To systematically review the literature on the use of single or mixed plants extracts therapy in vivo experimental systems for asthma, emphasizing their regulations on IL production to improve lung.

METHODS

Literature searches were performed on PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus and Web of Science databases. All articles in English were extracted from 1999 up to September 2019, assessed critically for data extraction. Studies investigating the effectiveness and safety of plant extracts administered; inflammatory cell count, immunoglobulin E (IgE) production and regulation of pro-inflammatory cytokine and T helper (Th) 1 and Th2-driven cytokine expression in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and lung of asthmatic animals were included.

RESULTS

Four hundred and eighteen publications were identified and 51 met the inclusion criteria. Twenty-six studies described bioactive compounds from plant extracts. The most frequent immunopharmacological mechanisms described included reduction in IgE and eosinophilic recruitment, decreased mucus hypersecretion and airway hyperreactivity, enhancement of the balance of Th1/Th2 cytokine ratio, suppression of matrix metallopeptidase 9 (MMP-9) and reversal of structural alterations.

CONCLUSION

Plant extract therapies have potential control activities on asthma symptoms by modulating the secretion of pro-inflammatory (IL-1β, IL-8), Th17 (IL-17), anti-inflammatory (IL-10, IL-23, IL-31, IL-33), Th1 (IL-2, IL-12) and Th2 (IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-13) cytokines, reducing the level of biomarkers of airway inflammation.

Yan-Hou-Qing formula attenuates allergic airway inflammation via up-regulation of Treg and suppressing Th2 responses in Ovalbumin-induced asthmatic mice

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Yan-Hou-Qing (YHQ), a Chinese medicine formula containing fourteen kinds of materials, has been designed for pharyngitis and cough treatment in Oriental medicine. In the present study, the anti-allergic effects and underlying mechanisms of YHQ in inhibition of airway hyper responsiveness (AHR) was explored in an ovalbumin (OVA)-induced allergic asthma mouse model.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

BALB/c mice were sensitized by OVA and cholera toxin (CT) and challenged with OVA intranasally to induce allergic asthma mouse model. YHQ (200 mg/kg) was orally administered for 3 weeks from week-2 after OVA sensitization. The AHR and histological changes of lung tissues were evaluated by whole-body barometric plethysmography analysis and hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining, respectively. The serum concentration of OVA-specific IgE and T helper 2 (Th2) cytokines (IL-4 and IL-13) were determined by enzyme-linked immune sorbent assay (ELISA). Flow cytometry was performed to evaluate the percentage of CD4⁺CD25⁺Foxp3⁺ regulatory T cells (Treg) in the spleen.

RESULTS

The elevated AHR responses, heavier inflammatory cell infiltration and Th2 cytokines in allergic asthma group indicated Ovalbumin-induced asthmatic mouse models were built successfully. Compared to allergic asthma group, OVA-induced AHR responses and eosinophil infiltration in lung were improved significantly, and the productions of OVA-specific IgE and Th2 cytokines, IL-4 and IL-13, in the serum were also reduced dramatically after the treatment of YHQ. Moreover, YHQ treatment significantly increased the percentage of CD4⁺CD25⁺Foxp3⁺ Treg in OVA-induced allergic asthma mouse model.

CONCLUSIONS

YHQ improves the allergic asthma related symptoms via promotion of CD4⁺CD25⁺Foxp3⁺ Treg and suppression of Th2 responses in mouse model, suggesting YHQ can be used as a potent agent to alleviate allergic asthma related symptoms.

The ethanol extract of Involcucrum castaneae ameliorated ovalbumin-induced airway inflammation and smooth muscle thickening in guinea pigs

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Involucrum castaneae(IC)is used in Chinese folk medicine to treat various lung diseases, as well as for its reducing phlegm and anti-inflammatory properties.

AIM OF THE STUDY

The purpose of this experiment is to verify the effect of IC on airway inflammation, responsiveness in ovalbumin (OVA)-induced asthmatic guinea pigs. The main chemical components of IC were also analyzed.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The potential of the ethanol extract of Involucrum castaneae (EEIC) to protect against OVA-induced allergic airway response in guinea pigs was investigated. The latency of asthma in guinea pigs were recorded after the allergic asthma induced. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to measure the levels of immunoglobulin E (IgE), interleukin-5 (IL-5), nerve growth factor (NGF) and interferon-γ (IFN-γ) in asthma allergy. Reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) was used to detect the expression of IL-5 mRNA in asthmatic guinea pig lungs. Paraffin sections of lung tissue were used to analyze pathological changes. The total flavonoid content was determined and the chemical components were analyzed by LC-MS/MS.

RESULTS

It was found that EEIC was able to reduce the number of eosinophil (EOS) in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and peripheral blood (PB) in the guinea pig model of OVA -induced asthma. Meanwhile, it also significantly reduced the levels of inflammation-related factors IgE and IL-5, decreased the expression of IL-5 mRNA in lung tissue, and increased the level of IFN-γ. Pathological examination of paraffin section of lung tissue showed that EEIC can reduce the thickening of bronchial smooth muscle and reduce the infiltration damage of tissues by various inflammatory cells. The presence of flavonoids, terpenoids and phenolic compounds in EEIC might be responsible for these activities.

CONCLUSION

IC alleviated airway inflammation and smooth muscle thickening in guinea pigs with OVA-sensitized allergic asthma. The paper explains the traditional efficacy and material basis of IC and lays a foundation for further development.

Assessment of tumor growth factor-β1 neutralizing antibody in the treatment of allergic rhinitis and asthma

To identify a novel and effective therapy for allergic rhinitis and asthma (ARA), the present study focused on treatment with tumor growth factor (TGF)-β1 neutralizing antibody. In the present study, four medications were administered to mice with ovalbumin-induced allergic inflammation. Allergic symptoms in the lungs and nasal mucosa were evaluated by detecting the secretion of cytokines from helper T cells (Th) in the peripheral blood, nasal lavage fluid and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid using ELISA. Defects in regulatory T (Treg) cells in peripheral blood mononuclear cells were also detected using flow cytometry. Furthermore, the expression of TGF-β1 and activation of Smad2/3 pathways were assessed using immunohistochemical staining, reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and western blotting. It was observed that TGF-β1 neutralizing antibody inhibited symptoms of inflammation in the upper and lower airways. TGF-β1 neutralizing antibody also restored the Th1/Th2 balance and ameliorated Treg cell defects induced by ARA. Furthermore, the therapeutic effects of TGF-β1 neutralizing antibody were related to its inhibitory effects on TGF-β1 expression and Smad2/3 signaling in nasal and lung tissues. Therefore, TGF-β1 neutralizing antibody may be an effective medicine for the treatment of ARA.

Inhibition of airway remodeling and inflammation by isoforskolin in PDGF-induced rat ASMCs and OVA-induced rat asthma model

Isoforskolin (ISOF) has been reported to play an important role in many illnesses including respiratory, cardiovascular and ophthalmologic diseases. In our study, we aimed to investigate how ISOF regulates airway remodeling and inflammation in asthma. Based on SO₂-stimulated mouse cough model, we assessed the role of ISOF in cough and secretion of phlegm. Afterwards, platelet derived growth factor (PDGF)-induced primary rat airway smooth muscle cell (ASMC) model and ovalbumin (OVA)-induced rat asthma model were used to continue our following research. Our results showed that ISOF could prolong the cough latent period, reduce the cough times in two minutes, and increase the excretion of red phenol, which suggested the antitussive and expectorant effects of ISOF. Besides, ISOF pretreatment reversed the hypotonicity and cytoskeleton remodeling in PDGF-induced ASMCs, and reduced mucus hypersecretion and collagen overdeposition in OVA-induced rat asthma model, which indicated its inhibition on airway remodeling in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, ISOF reduced the invasion of inflammatory cells into bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and lungs, which revealed its inhibitory role in airway inflammation. The down-regulation of transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1) and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) upon ISOF treatment might be responsible for its anti-remodeling and anti-inflammation roles. In conclusion, ISOF can reduce cough and sputum, as well as inhibit airway remodeling and inflammation by regulating the expression of TGF-β1 and IL-1β. These data indicate the potency of ISOF in treating asthma and also provide insights into the development of new anti-asthma agent.

Herbal Medicines for Asthmatic Inflammation: From Basic Researches to Clinical Applications

Asthma is one of the most common chronic inflammatory disorders, associated with reversible airflow obstruction, airway hyperresponsiveness, and airway remodeling. This disease has a significant impact on individuals, their families, and society. Standardized therapeutics such as inhaled corticosteroid in combination with long acting β2 agonist have been applied for asthma control; however, complementary and alternative medicines, especially herbal medicines, are still widely used all over the world. A growing body of literature suggests that various herbals or related products might be effective in inhibiting asthmatic inflammation. In this review, we summarize recent advances about the mechanistic studies of herbal medicines on allergic airway inflammation in animal models and their potential application into clinic for asthma control.