title: Lavender essential oil inhalation suppresses allergic airway inflammation and mucous cell hyperplasia in a murine model of asthma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Lavender essential oil (Lvn) has been reported to have anti-inflammatory effects. Bronchial asthma is characterized by bronchial allergic inflammation with airway remodeling. Therefore, we evaluated the anti-inflammatory effect of Lvn on experimentally induced bronchial asthma in a murine model.
  
  
  METHODS
  BALB/c mice were sensitized by an intraperitoneal injection of ovalbumin (OVA) at days 0 and 14, and subsequently challenged with nebulized OVA on days 28-30 (Control-Asthma group). Mice in the treatment group inhaled Lvn on days 14-31 (Lvn-Asthma group). The allergic inflammatory response was determined on days 32 and 33.
  
  
  RESULTS
  An increase in airway resistance was inhibited in the Lvn-Asthma group than in the Control-Asthma group. The Lvn-Asthma group showed lower total cell numbers and eosinophils in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluids and peribronchial and perivascular tissues when compared with the Control-Asthma group. The Lvn-Asthma group also had less mucin hyperplasia than the Control-Asthma group. Furthermore, the Lvn-Asthma group showed lower interleukin (IL)-5 and IL-13 cytokine levels in BAL fluids, as well as reduced IL-4 and IL-5 mRNA expression in lung tissue, compared with the Control-Asthma group and determined by FlowCytomix and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), respectively. In addition, Lvn inhalation reduced Muc5b mRNA expression in the lungs without significantly changing the expression of Muc5ac mRNA.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Lvn inhibits allergic inflammation and mucous cell hyperplasia with suppression of T-helper-2 cell cytokines and Muc5b expression in a murine model of asthma. Consequently, Lvn may be useful as an alternative medicine for bronchial asthma.
authors.affiliation: Field of Medical Technology, Okayama University Graduate School of Health Sciences, Okayama, Japan.
authors.forename: Tomoe
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ueno-Iio
authors.affiliation: Field of Medical Technology, Okayama University Graduate School of Health Sciences, Okayama, Japan. Electronic address: m_shiba@md.okayama-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Misako
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shibakura
authors.affiliation: Field of Medical Technology, Okayama University Graduate School of Health Sciences, Okayama, Japan.
authors.forename: Kanayo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yokota
authors.affiliation: Field of Medical Technology, Okayama University Graduate School of Health Sciences, Okayama, Japan.
authors.forename: Michinori
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Aoe
authors.affiliation: Field of Medical Technology, Okayama University Graduate School of Health Sciences, Okayama, Japan.
authors.forename: Tomoko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hyoda
authors.affiliation: Field of Medical Technology, Okayama University Graduate School of Health Sciences, Okayama, Japan.
authors.forename: Ryoko
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Shinohata
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology, Oncology, Allergy, and Respiratory Medicine, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama, Japan.
authors.forename: Arihiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kanehiro
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology, Oncology, Allergy, and Respiratory Medicine, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama, Japan.
authors.forename: Mitsune
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tanimoto
authors.affiliation: Field of Medical Technology, Okayama University Graduate School of Health Sciences, Okayama, Japan.
authors.forename: Mikio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kataoka
mesh_terms: D000280:Administration, Inhalation; D000403:Airway Resistance / Q000187:drug effects; D000818:Animals; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001249:Asthma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D001992:Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / Q000276:immunology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D006965:Hyperplasia / Q000188:drug therapy*; D007249:Inflammation / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D018793:Interleukin-13 / Q000378:metabolism; D015848:Interleukin-5 / Q000378:metabolism; D027523:Lavandula; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D055257:Mucin-5B / Q000235:genetics; D009822:Oils, Volatile / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010047:Ovalbumin / Q000276:immunology; D010938:Plant Oils / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D018418:Th2 Cells / Q000276:immunology; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D018793:Interleukin-13; D015848:Interleukin-5; C524579:Muc5b protein, mouse; D055257:Mucin-5B; D009822:Oils, Volatile; D010938:Plant Oils; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D010047:Ovalbumin; C045718:lavender oil
keywords: Alternative medicine; Asthma; Cytokines; Lavender; Mucin