• Journal of Life Science
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• v.18 no.10
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• pp.1336-1341
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• 2008

Inflammation through the respiratory tract is a crucial event in immune disorders, including asthma, and atopic rhinitis. To investigate whether an aqueous extract of Angelica archangelica L. (AaL) has a beneficial influence in terms of anti-asthmatic activity, its effects on an ovalbumin-induced asthmatic model were examined. Mice sensitized to ovalbumin were orally administered the AaL extract, and their lungs examined by Haematoxylin-Eosin staining to determine IL-4/13 cytokine expression. The AaL extract exerted strong anti-asthmatic effects by regulating each level in the $CD4^+$ cell number, IL-4/13, and other target markers in the lungs. Together, these results collectively indicate that the aqueous AaL extract ameliorates asthmatic symptoms effectively in a mouse ovalbumin-challenge model.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.457-463
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• 2009

This study aimed to evaluate the anti-asthmatic effects of Seonpye-tang (SPT) using OVA-induced asthmatic mice model. Scavenging activity of SPT on DPPH free radical and SOD-like activity of SPT were measured at final concentration 62.5, 125, 250, 500 (${\mu}g/m{\ell}$), RBL-2H3 cells were treated with DNP IgE for 24hr, and treated with SPT (1, 10, 100 ${\mu}g/m{\ell}$) for 1hr, followed by treatment with DNP-HSA for 1hr at $37^{\circ}C$. The level of IL-4 and TNF-${\alpha}$ were measured by ELISA. Asthmatic mice model was conducted by repeated challenge of OVA using C57BL/6 mice. Each group was treated with distilled water, SPT (400 mg/kg and 200 mg/kg) extract or cyclosporin A (10 mg/kg) for the later 8 weeks. Immune cells subpopulation, eotaxin, IL-5 and TNF-${\alpha}$ in BALF were analyzed. SPT dose-dependently increased Scavenging activity on DPPH free radical and SOD-like activity. SPT significantly ameliorated the increase of total cells number and eosinophil including of immune cell subpopulation of $CD3^+/CD69^+$, $CCR3^+$, $B220^+/CD22^+$, $B220^+/CD45^+$ and $B220^+/IgE^+$ cells in BALF comparing to control group. Eotaxin and IL-5 level in BALF were significantly decreased by SPT. These results strongly suggest that SPT would be a effective candidate for herbal-originated anti-asthmatic drug. However, this drug should be further studied for characterization of the accurate action and underlying mechanisms using variant disease model in the future.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.45 no.6
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• pp.654-664
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• 2021

Background: Ginsenoside Rg3, isolated from Panax ginseng, has anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor activities. It is known to reduce inflammation in acute lung injury in mice, and to reduce the expression of inflammatory cytokines and COX-2 in human asthmatic airway epithelium. In this study, we attempted to determine whether ginsenoside Rg3 inhibits airway inflammation, oxidative stress, and airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) in the lungs of asthmatic mice. We also investigated its effects on oxidative stress and the inflammatory response in tracheal epithelial cells. Methods: Asthma symptoms were induced in female BALB/c mice sensitized with ovalbumin (OVA). Mice were divided into five groups: normal controls, OVA-induced asthmatic controls, and asthmatic mice treated with ginsenoside Rg3 or prednisolone by intraperitoneal injection. Inflammatory BEAS-2B cells (human tracheal epithelial cells) treated with ginsenoside Rg3 to investigate its effects on inflammatory cytokines and oxidative responses. Results: Ginsenoside Rg3 treatment significantly reduced eosinophil infiltration, oxidative responses, airway inflammation, and AHR in the lungs of asthmatic mice. Ginsenoside Rg3 reduced Th2 cytokine and chemokine levels in bronchoalveolar lavage fluids and lung. Inflammatory BEAS-2B cells treated with ginsenoside Rg3 reduced the eotaxin and pro-inflammatory cytokine expressions, and monocyte adherence to BEAS-2B cells was significantly reduced as a result of decreased ICAM-1 expression. Furthermore, ginsenoside Rg3 reduced the expression of reactive oxygen species in inflammatory BEAS-2B cells. Conclusion: Ginsenoside Rg3 is a potential immunomodulator that can ameliorate pathological features of asthma by decreasing oxidative stress and inflammation

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.45 no.11
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• pp.833-845
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• 2022

Although asthma is a common chronic airway disease that responds well to anti-inflammatory agents, some patients with asthma are unresponsive to conventional treatment. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have therapeutic potential for the treatment of inflammatory diseases owing to their immunomodulatory properties. However, the target cells of MSCs are not yet clearly known. This study aimed to determine the effect of human umbilical cord-derived MSCs (hUC-MSCs) on asthmatic lungs by modulating innate immune cells and effector T cells using a murine asthmatic model. Intravenously administered hUC-MSCs reduced airway resistance, mucus production, and inflammation in the murine asthma model. hUC-MSCs attenuated not only T helper (Th) 2 cells and Th17 cells but also augmented regulatory T cells (Tregs). As for innate lymphoid cells (ILC), hUC-MSCs effectively suppressed ILC2s by downregulating master regulators of ILC2s, such as Gata3 and Tcf7. Finally, regarding lung macrophages, hUC-MSCs reduced the total number of macrophages, particularly the proportion of the enhanced monocyte-derived macrophage population. In a closer examination of monocyte-derived macrophages, hUC-MSCs reduced the M2a and M2c populations. In conclusion, hUC-MSCs can be considered as a potential anti-asthmatic treatment given their therapeutic effect on the asthmatic airway inflammation in a murine asthma model by modulating innate immune cells, such as ILC2s, M2a, and M2c macrophages, as well as affecting Tregs and effector T cells.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.199-201
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• 2001

A phenolic substance was isolated from the bark of Pinus koraiensis. It was identified to be pinostilbenoside. Its anti-$LTD_4$ activity was evaluated using isolated guinea pig trachea, and its half maximal bronchodilating activity ($EC_{50}$) was $593{\pm}56{\mu}g{\cdot}ml^{-1}$. Because it is not known that stilbene derivatives possess anti-asthmatic activity through $LTD_4$ antagonism, here we report the result.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.138-142
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• 2001

During the course of searching for anti-allergic substances from unexplored plant sources, an inhibitor of leukotriene $D_4$-induced tracheal contraction was isolated from Euphoribia helioscopia. This isolated polyphenol compound, known as helioscopinin-A, showed a certain inhibitory activity on capillary permeability in passive cutaneous anaphylaxis responses of rats and also on antigen-induced bronchial constriction in an experimental asthma model of guinea pigs. The compound at a high concentration weakly inhibited histamine release from isolated mast cells of rats. It is suggested that this compound is an anti-allergic and anti-asthmatic which exerts its activity through antagonism on leukotrene $D_4$-induced responses. A partial inhibition of allergic mediator relase may also bee involved.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.28 no.12
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• pp.1350-1357
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• 2005

Nuclear factor kappa B (NF-$\kappa$B) regulates the expression of multiple cytokines, chemokines, and cell adhesion molecules that are involved in the pathogenesis of asthma. We investigated the anti-asthmatic effects and the mechanism of action of DA-9201, an extract of the black rice, in a mouse model of asthma. Mice immunized with ovalbumin (OVA) were administered with DA-9201 (30, 100 or 300 mg/kg) or dexamethasone (DEXA, 3 mg/kg) for 2 weeks and challenged with aerosolized OVA during the last 3 days. Anti-asthmatic effects were assessed by means of enhanced pauses, level of total lgE and Th2 cytokines in plasma or bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), the percentage of eosinophils in BALF, and histopathological examination. The expression of NF-$\kappa$B in nuclear and cytoplasmic fraction and its DNA-binding activity in lung tissues were analyzed by means of Western blotting and electrophoretic gel mobility shift assay (EMSA), respectively. DA-9201 significantly reduced airway hyperrespon-siveness (AHR), total lgE level in plasma and BALF, IL-4, IL-5, and IL-13 levels in BALF, and the percentage of eosinophils in BALF. Tissue inflammation was significantly improved by DA­9201 treatment. In addition, DA-9201 dramatically suppressed the expression of NF-$\kappa$B and its DNA-binding activity. These results suggest that DA-9201 may be useful for the treatment of asthma and its efficacy is related to suppression of NF-$\kappa$B pathway.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Applied Pharmacology
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• 1996.04a
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• pp.255-255
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• 1996

Flavonoids are the large class of plant-derived polyphenolic compounds with a broad spectrum of biological actions including anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic and anti-asthmatic activities. It has been reported that quercetin and some other flavonoids inhibit the histamine release from mast cells. Disodium cromoglycate, a kind of biflavonoid, have been used as a anti-asthmatic agent. Therefore, the following study was undertaken to characterize tile structure-activity relationships of flavonoids in the inhibition of histamine release, from IgE-sensitized mast cells. Flavonoid acetate were synthesized by addition of acetic anhydride to the flavonoids dissolved in pyridine. According In the Mota method, IgE-rich serum was made in rats sensitized with Pertussis vaccine and ovalbumin. Rat abdominal mast cells were harvested and purified over tile discontineous Percoll gradients, Mast cells were preincubated in RPMI with IgE-rich serum and further incubated with flavonoids. Histamine contents released from mast cells were determined fluorospectrophotometrically after stimulation with ovalbumin. (omitted)

• Proceedings of the PSK Conference
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• 2002.10a
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• pp.299.2-299.2
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• 2002

For the activity-guided separation on anti-asthmatic action from 4 fractions as n-hexane (yield. 0.09%), EtOAc (0.48%), BuOH (3.0%) and H2O (5.17%) fractions from MeOH extract (11.64%) of powdered Gastrodia elata Rhizoma (GER), some biological active agents were isolated by column chromatography (column, silica gel: elution solvent. CHCl3 : MeOH) according to the method of Junko Hayashi et. al. and Heihachiro Taguchi et. al. (omitted)

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.451-462
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• 2018

Hubakmawhang-tang (HMT), listed in Geumgweyoryak, is an oriental medicine used for the symptoms of asthma, such as cough and dyspnea. In this study, we investigated the HMT effects on ovalbumin-induced asthmatic in mice. We examined weight changes, airway hyperresponsiveness, histopathological abnormalities, immune cell infiltrations, immunoglobulin and inflammatory cytokine levels, and spleen body weight ratios in asthmatic mice. HMT inhibited airway hyperresponsiveness, immune cell infiltration, and airway remodeling and caused a significant lowering of serum IgE and IgG1 levels. The asthmatic mice had elevated IL-4 levels in lung tissue and this elevation was effectively prevented by HMT. HMT did not cause changes in body weight or in the spleen body weight ratio. Therefore, HMT might have an anti-asthmatic effect in the ovalbumin-induced mouse model.