title: Herbal medicine treatment reduces inflammation in a murine model of cockroach allergen-induced asthma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Asthma is a significant disease among children, and its prevalence has increased notably during the last 2 decades. A traditional Korean medicine, So-Cheong-Ryong-Tang (SCRT), has been used for the treatment of asthma in Asia for centuries, but its mechanism for reducing bronchopulmonary inflammation in asthma has yet to be elucidated.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate whether the herbal extract SCRT inhibits inflammation in a mouse model of cockroach allergen-induced asthma.
  
  
  METHODS
  A house dust extract containing endotoxin and cockroach allergens was used for immunization and 2 additional pulmonary challenges in BALB/c mice. Mice were treated with SCRT or vehicle 1 hour before each pulmonary challenge. Respiratory parameters were evaluated by whole-body plethysmography and forced oscillation methods 24 hours after the last challenge. Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid was collected, and histologic sections of lung were prepared either 4 or 24 hours after the last house dust extract challenge.
  
  
  RESULTS
  SCRT treatment significantly reduced the hyperreactivity of the airways as measured by whole-body plethysmography and direct measurement of airway resistance. Inflammation was significantly inhibited by SCRT treatment as demonstrated by reduced plasma IgE levels and improved pulmonary histologic characteristics. SCRT significantly reduced the number of neutrophils in the BAL fluid and also significantly reduced the BAL levels of CXC chemokines, providing a potential mechanism for the reduced inflammation. In a similar fashion, SCRT reduced eosinophil recruitment and BAL levels of eotaxin and RANTES.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These data indicate that SCRT treatment alleviates asthma-like pulmonary inflammation via suppression of specific chemokines.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts 02118, USA. jykim@bu.edu
authors.forename: Jiyoun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Sudha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Natarajan
authors.forename: Hyunsu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bae
authors.forename: Sung-Ki
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Cruikshank
authors.forename: Daniel G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Remick
mesh_terms: D000485:Allergens / Q000276:immunology; D000818:Animals; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D001249:Asthma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology; D003058:Cockroaches; D045424:Complex Mixtures / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D029001:Herbal Medicine; D006801:Humans; D019476:Insect Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D055670:Medicine, Korean Traditional; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D010991:Plethysmography
chemical_list: D000485:Allergens; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D045424:Complex Mixtures; D019476:Insect Proteins; D010936:Plant Extracts