Therapeutic Effects of Kangzhi Syrup in a Guinea Pig Model of Ovalbumin-Induced Cough Variant Asthma

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, May 2018

Purpose. This study aimed to investigate the possible effects and underlying mechanisms of Kangzhi syrup on ovalbumin- (OVA-) induced cough variant asthma (CVA) in guinea pigs. Methods. All 48 guinea pigs were randomly assigned to four experimental groups: normal, OVA model with or without Kangzhi syrup (OVA and OVA

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Therapeutic Effects of Kangzhi Syrup in a Guinea Pig Model of Ovalbumin-Induced Cough Variant Asthma

Therapeutic Effects of Kangzhi Syrup in a Guinea Pig Model of Ovalbumin-Induced Cough Variant Asthma Youpeng Wang,1 Pengyu Zhu,1 Jiejun Tan,2 Zhiwei Liu,3 Wanying Qu,3 Lujia Liu,3 and Zhijun Li1 1The Second Affiliated Hospital of Heilongjiang University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150001, China 2The Third People’s Hospital of Bengbu, Bengbu, Anhui 233000, China 3Heilongjiang University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150040, China Correspondence should be addressed to Zhijun Li; .gnij Received 26 January 2018; Revised 24 March 2018; Accepted 16 April 2018; Published 23 May 2018 Academic Editor: Junji Xu Copyright © 2018 Youpeng Wang et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Abstract Purpose. This study aimed to investigate the possible effects and underlying mechanisms of Kangzhi syrup on ovalbumin- (OVA-) induced cough variant asthma (CVA) in guinea pigs. Methods. All 48 guinea pigs were randomly assigned to four experimental groups: normal, OVA model with or without Kangzhi syrup (OVA and OVA + KZ), and OVA with Dexamethasone (OVA + DM). After sensitizing the guinea pigs, a cough challenge was performed by the inhalation of capsaicin. The antitussive effect, inflammatory cells, cytokines in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and lung tissue, and morphological changes were examined. Results. Compared with model group, Kangzhi syrup effectively exerted an antitussive effect () and reduced the pneumonic anaphylacticitis by inhibiting the infiltration of total inflammatory cells () and reducing the percentage of eosinophil in BALF (). Moreover, evidence from morphological studies also demonstrated that Kangzhi syrup inhibited the infiltration of inflammatory cells and ameliorated the structure changes. NF-κB and TGF-β1 expression were attenuated in the OVA + KZ group versus the OVA group (). Additionally, a semiquantitative analysis of TGF-β1 expression also demonstrated that the Kangzhi syrup attenuated this profibrogenic growth factor (). Conclusions. The results demonstrated that Kangzhi syrup exerted a considerable antitussive effect in CVA animal model, which depended on its marked impact on the anti-anaphylactic inflammation. Additionally, it could ameliorate the airway remodeling by inhibiting NF-κB and TGF-β1 signal pathway. 1. Introduction The chronic cough is a common and frustrating symptom of respiratory disease. One of the most representative airway disorders responsible for a chronic cough is asthma, which is characterized by airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR), chronic inflammation, tissue remodeling, and mucus hypersecretion [1] and can be subclassified into an atopic cough, eosinophilic bronchitis, and cough variant asthma (CVA) [2]. The main symptom of CVA is prolonged nonproductive cough, accompanied by increased cough sensitivity and increased bronchial responsiveness, and eosinophilia infiltration of central and peripheral airways [3]. In general, CVA is regarded as a precursor of asthma, and about 35.7% of patients with CVA will become classic asthma in 5 years [4]. A multicenter survey on causes of the chronic cough demonstrated that CVA accounted for 32.6% of the total patients with chronic cough across five regions in China [5]. Thus, CVA is one of the major causes of chronic cough and impacted seriously on the patient’s quality of life. The underlying mechanism of pathogenesis for CVA is still elusive. A progress in the pathobiology of asthma pointed out that the type 2 immune response was associated with atopic diseases, such as allergy and asthma, mainly mediated by eosinophil, T helper 2 cells, and IgE-producing B cells [6]. It is generally accepted that the persistent inflammation results in hypersensitivity to allergens and remodeling of the epithelium and subepithelial fibrosis. The glucocorticoids have long been the optimal therapeutic regimen to control asthma by suppressing the inflammation. As glucocorticoids have multiple side effects, particularly in prolonged high doses, asthma or CVA often starts in childhood and becomes persistent for years. A long-term glucocorticoids usage not only causes serious side effects, but also influences the development of the immune system in early childhood. Thus, a complementary or alternative medicine (CAM) has been a hotspot of research. Herbal remedies are now one of the most popular forms of CAM to treat asthma; nearly 40% of people with asthma once used herbal remedies [7]. There were studies that support the efficacy of herbal remedies in improving lung function, reducing the use of glucocorticoids [8, 9]. In a noncomparative, multicenter trial, an extract from Magnoliae Flos was applied as an adjuvant besides inhaled corticosteroid therapy and showed beneficial effects on both lung functions and asthm (...truncated)


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Youpeng Wang, Pengyu Zhu, Jiejun Tan, Zhiwei Liu, Wanying Qu, Lujia Liu, Zhijun Li. Therapeutic Effects of Kangzhi Syrup in a Guinea Pig Model of Ovalbumin-Induced Cough Variant Asthma, Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2018, 2018, DOI: 10.1155/2018/5867835