Helminthostachys zeylanica Water Extract Ameliorates Airway Hyperresponsiveness and Eosinophil Infiltration by Reducing Oxidative Stress and Th2 Cytokine Production in a Mouse Asthma Model

Abstract

Helminthostachys zeylanica is a traditional folk herb used to improve inflammation and fever in Taiwan. Previous studies showed that H. zeylanica extract could ameliorate lipopolysaccharide-induced acute lung injury in mice. The aim of this study was to investigate whether H. zeylanica water (HZW) and ethyl acetate (HZE) extracts suppressed eosinophil infiltration and airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) in asthmatic mice, and decreased the inflammatory response and oxidative stress in tracheal epithelial cells. Human tracheal epithelial cells (BEAS-2B cells) were pretreated with various doses of HZW or HZE (1 μg/ml–10 μg/ml), and cell inflammatory responses were induced with IL-4/TNF-α. In addition, female BALB/c mice sensitized with ovalbumin (OVA), to induce asthma, were orally administered with HZW or HZE. The result demonstrated that HZW significantly inhibited the levels of proinflammatory cytokines, chemokines, and reactive oxygen species in activated BEAS-2B cells. HZW also decreased ICAM-1 expression and blocked monocytic cells from adhering to inflammatory BEAS-2B cells in vitro. Surprisingly, HZW was more effective than HZE in suppressing the inflammatory response in BEAS-2B cells. Our results demonstrated that HZW significantly decreased AHR and eosinophil infiltration, and reduced goblet cell hyperplasia in the lungs of asthmatic mice. HZW also inhibited oxidative stress and reduced the levels of Th2 cytokines in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. Our findings suggest that HZW attenuated the pathological changes and inflammatory response of asthma by suppressing Th2 cytokine production in OVA-sensitized asthmatic mice.

The Hydroalcoholic Extract of Nasturtium officinale Reduces Lung Inflammation and Oxidative Stress in an Ovalbumin-Induced Rat Model of Asthma

“…During the process of developing asthma, inflammatory immune cells (neutrophils, eosinophils, monocytes, and macrophages) and epithelial cells produce ROS. By generation of ROS, higher content than the natural antioxidant capacity of the lungs, oxidative stress and cell damage occur [ 48 ]. Excessive oxidative stress has been reported to exacerbate sputum production and inflammation in the airways and damage respiratory epithelial cells [ 12 ].…”

“…These cells also release more inflammatory and oxidative molecules that damage lung cells and tissue [ 10 ]. The activated Th2 cells release high level of cytokines, including IL-4, IL-5, and IL-13, leading to trigger AHR, induce mast cells, infiltrate eosinophils into the lungs, and subsequently increase mucus secretion [ 48 ]. Several studies reported that the expression of TNF- α , TGF-b, IL-1B, and α -SMA genes is significantly increased in OVA-induced asthma in animals, which is consistent with our findings [ 13 , 58 , 59 ].…”

Ginsenoside Rg3 ameliorates allergic airway inflammation and oxidative stress in mice

“…The units of OVA-IgG2a and OVA-IgG1were defined using OD 450 values from standard curves of pooled serum from OVA-sensitized mice. The levels of chemokines and cytokines in cell culture media and BALF were detected using the specific ELISA kit (R&D Systems, Minneapolis, MN, USA) [ 27 ].…”

A comprehensive review on Nepalese wild vegetable food ferns

“…Rhizomes show hepatoprotective [ 236 , 237 ], anti-inflammatory [ [238] , [239] , [240] ], antihyperuricemia [ 241 ], cytotoxic [ 242 ], anticancer [ 243 ], antidiabetic [ 244 ] and antibacterial [ 245 ] activities.…”