title: [Effects of andrographolide on the expression of eosinophil granulocytes and possible mechanisms].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Andrographolide, the active component in andrographis paniculata, has potent anti-inflammatory actions. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of andrographolide on eosinophil granulocytes (EOS) and the expression of eotaxin and IL-5 in mice with asthma.
  
  
  METHODS
  BALB/c mice were randomly assigned into normal control, asthma, budesonide treatment and andrographolide treatment groups (n=8 each). Mice in the latter three groups were sensitized and challenged with ovalbumin (OVA) to induce asthma. ELISA was used to detect the concentrations of eotaxin and IL-5 in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and peripheral blood. The expression of eotaxin mRNA and IL-5 mRNA in lung tissues was detected by real-time quantitative PCR.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Andrographolide treatment significantly decreased EOS count in BALF (P<0.05) and the effect of andrographolide was better than the effect of budesonide. Andrographolide treatment significantly down-regulated the expression of eotaxin and IL-5 in BALF, lung eotaxin mRNA expression and blood IL-5 expression (P<0.05), but the effects of andrographolide were poorer than the effects of budesonide. Andrographolide treatment resulted in a decrease in blood eotaxin expression and lung IL-5 mRNA expression and the effects of andrographolide were similar to budesonide.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Andrographolide can down-regulate the expression of IL-5 and eotaxin and thus suppress the inflitration of EOS in a mouse model of asthma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Yan-Hua
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Mei-Yi
authors.initials: MY
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Rong
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.forename: Sheng
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Xiao-Yong
authors.initials: XY
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Liang-Xia
authors.initials: LX
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Jian-Hua
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001249:Asthma / Q000188:drug therapy*; D001992:Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / Q000166:cytology; D054413:Chemokine CCL11 / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics; D004224:Diterpenes / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004804:Eosinophils / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D015848:Interleukin-5 / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: C515456:CCL11 protein, human; D054413:Chemokine CCL11; D004224:Diterpenes; D015848:Interleukin-5; D012333:RNA, Messenger; C030419:andrographolide