title: Alleviation of OVA-induced airway inflammation by flowers of Inula japonica in a murine model of asthma.
abstract: The flowers of Inula japonica (Inulae Flos) have long been used in traditional medicine for treating inflammatory diseases. The effects on OVA-induced asthmatic mice of an Inulae Flos extract (IFE) were evaluated in this study. The anti-asthmatic effects of IFE were determined by observing eosinophil recruitment, airway hyper-responsiveness (AHR), Th2 cytokine and IgE levels, and lung histopathology. The IFE treatment effectively reduced the percentage of eosinophils and Th2 cytokines in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) when compared to the levels in OVA-induced mice. IFE also suppressed AHR induced by aerosolized methacholine in OVA-induced mice. The results of the histopathological studies indicate that inflammatory cell infiltration and mucus hypersecretion were both inhibited by the IFE administration when compared to the effect on OVA-induced mice. The IFE treatment also suppressed the serum IgE levels and decreased Th2 cytokines in the supernatant of cultured splenocytes. These results suggest that IFE may have therapeutic potential against asthma.
authors: Research and Development Division, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute for Oriental Medicine Industry, Gyeongsan, Korea.
authors: Young Na
authors: YN
authors: Park
authors: Youn Ju
authors: YJ
authors: Lee
authors: Jeon Hyeun
authors: JH
authors: Choi
authors: Meihua
authors: M
authors: Jin
authors: Ju Hae
authors: JH
authors: Yang
authors: Ying
authors: Y
authors: Li
authors: Jiean
authors: J
authors: Lee
authors: Xian
authors: X
authors: Li
authors: Keuk-Jun
authors: KJ
authors: Kim
authors: Jong Keun
authors: JK
authors: Son
authors: Hyeun Wook
authors: HW
authors: Chang
authors: Jong Yeon
authors: JY
authors: Kim
authors: Eunkyung
authors: E
authors: Lee