title: Pingchuan formula improves asthma via restoration of the Th17/Treg balance in a mouse model.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Pingchuan Formula (PCF) is a traditional Chinese recipe. PCF improves chronic airway inflammation by correcting the imbalance of T-helper cell ratio. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of PCF on pathological changes in the lungs of asthmatic mice in terms of Treg/Th17 balance.
  
  
  METHODS
  A bronchial asthma BALB/c mouse model was established using the ovalbumin excitation method. Distilled water (for MDL group) and drugs (for DEX or PCF group) were administered by gavage immediately after the first excitation. Mice were sacrificed after 7 and 28 d treatment. Lung tissues and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid were collected and lung pathological changes were observed after hematoxylin and eosin staining. Differential cell counts, concentrations of interleukins-6, -17, -23 and TGF-β in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Expression of transcriptional factors Foxp3 and RORγt was determined by immunohistochemistry and immunoblot.
  
  
  RESULTS
  An asthma model was successfully established. After 7 or 28 d treatment, lung pathological changes were improved and concentration of interleukins-6, -17, -23 and TGF-β in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid significantly decreased in the PCF group. RORγt expression in lung tissue was decreased in the PCF group, while Foxp3 expression increased (all P values<0.05 compared with the MDL group). There was no significant difference between the PCF and DEX group except that mice in the PCF group lost less bodyweight.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Treatment with PCF downregulates RORγt, elevates Foxp3 expression, reduces interleukins-6, -17, -23 and TGF-β in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, thus restoring Th17/Treg balance, improving airway inflammation and reducing asthma symptoms.
authors.affiliation: Pediatrics Shanghai Academy, Shanghai Municipal Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine affiliated to Shanghai TCM University, Shanghai, 200071, China. liufeicindy@163.com.|Wuxi Municipal Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Wuxi, 214001, China. liufeicindy@163.com.
authors.forename: Fei
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Pediatrics Shanghai Academy, Shanghai Municipal Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine affiliated to Shanghai TCM University, Shanghai, 200071, China. jianeryu@126.com.
authors.forename: Jianer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: Pediatrics Shanghai Academy, Shanghai Municipal Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine affiliated to Shanghai TCM University, Shanghai, 200071, China. 1248@szy.sh.cn.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bai
authors.affiliation: Pediatrics Shanghai Academy, Shanghai Municipal Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine affiliated to Shanghai TCM University, Shanghai, 200071, China. xz695@163.com.
authors.forename: Zheng
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Xue
authors.affiliation: Pediatrics Shanghai Academy, Shanghai Municipal Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine affiliated to Shanghai TCM University, Shanghai, 200071, China. 1110@szy.sh.cn.
authors.forename: Xinguang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001249:Asthma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D001992:Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D007249:Inflammation / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism; D008168:Lung / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D019684:Magnoliopsida; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D010047:Ovalbumin; D008517:Phytotherapy; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000378:metabolism*; D058504:Th17 Cells / Q000378:metabolism*; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta; D010047:Ovalbumin