Ginseng treatment enhances bacterial clearance and decreases lung pathology in athymic rats with chronic P. aeruginosa pneumonia

Abstract

In an athymic rat model of chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa lung infection mimicking cystic fibrosis (CF), we studied the effects of the Chinese herb ginseng. Rats were treated subcutaneously with ginseng extracts (25 mg/kg) once a day for 10 days after challenge with P. aeruginosa embedded in alginate beads. We found that ginseng treatment significantly reduced bacterial load (p<0.02) and the number of mast cells in the lungs (p<0.01). Furthermore, it decreased the severity of lung pathology (p<0.02) and lowered serum anti‐P. aeruginosa IgM and IgA antibody levels (p<0.004, p<0.04) compared to the control group. The down‐regulated specific humoral immunity in the ginseng‐treated group and the fact that athymic rats have a severely compromised T‐cell‐mediated immune reactivity due to the absence of thymus might suggest an activation of innate immunity after ginseng treatment. Our findings indicate that ginseng treatment increases the resistance of the athymic rats to P. aeruginosa lung infection. We therefore think that ginseng has promising potential as a natural medicine for stimulation of the immune system in CF patients with chronic P. aeruginosa lung infections.

Pseudomonas aeruginosaActivates Human Mast Cells to Induce Neutrophil Transendothelial Migration Via Mast Cell-Derived IL-1α and β

“…Such a potent effect suggests a pathophysiologically important role of the MC during P. aeruginosa infection. This concept is supported by the finding that P. aeruginosa lung infection induces an increase in the number of MC in the airway (25,26).…”

Effects of Intratracheal Administration of Novispirin G10 on a Rat Model of Mucoid Pseudomonas aeruginosa Lung Infection

“…Macroscopic lung pathology was expressed as the lung index of macroscopic pathology (LIMP), which was calculated by dividing the area of the left lung showing pathological changes by the total area of the whole lung (24,32). In addition, the gross pathological changes in the lungs were also assigned the following scores, according to the severity of the inflammation (24,26): I, normal lungs; II, swollen lungs, hyperemia, and small atelectasis (Ͻ10 mm 2 ); III, pleural adhesions and atelectasis (Ͻ40 mm 2 ); and IV, abscesses, large atelectasis, and hemorrhages. The evaluation was done in a double-blind way to avoid bias.…”

Outcome and Prevention of Pseudomonas aeruginosa-Staphylococcus aureus Interactions During Pulmonary Infections in Cystic Fibrosis

“…As an example, a garlic extract was shown to interfere with the QS of P. aeruginosa, to sensitize its biofilm to tobramycin treatments and to improve clearance of bacteria in a pulmonary mouse model Rasmussen et al, 2005). Ginseng extract was also shown to alter the virulence of P. aeruginosa by interfering with QS, destroying biofilms, promoting phagocytosis by airway phagocytes and by protecting animals from the development of chronic lung infections (Song et al, 1997a(Song et al, , 1997b(Song et al, , 2010Wu et al, 2011). Some of our own transcriptional analyses of bacteria exposed to plant products have shed light on the effect of TO on the expression of virulence factors by normal S. aureus strains (Bouarab et al, 2007).…”