Study on mechanisms of anti-asthma by Kangmin Pingchuan Formula via balance of regulatory T cells and Th17 cells / 中草药

ABSTRACT

Objective: To study the possible mechanisms of Chinese materia medica Kangmin Pingchuan Formula via regulating the balance of regulatory T cells (Tregs) and Th17 cells. Methods: The female BALB/c mice were divided into five groups control, model, Prednisone (5.5 mg/kg), Kangmin Pingchuan Formula low- (4.95 g/kg) and high-dose (9.90 g/kg) groups; Ovalbumin was used to make the asthmatic model of mice, the drug was ig administered daily after atomization for consecutive 15 d, then the mice were killed after the last administration. The paraffin-embedded tissue sections of the lungs in mice were stained by HE; Th17 cells and Tregs in blood were detected by flow cytometry; IL-4, TGF-β, and TNF-α in serum of mice were detected by ELISA assay. Results: HE staining showed that Kangmin Pingchuan Formula could alleviate the inflammation in the lung tissue of mice, decrease the proportion of Th17 cells, increase the proportion of Tregs in blood, promote TGF-β levels, and inhibit TNF-α levels in blood. Conclusion: Kangmin Pingchuan Formula could treat the asthma through impacting the proportion of Th17 cells and Tregs in blood as well as the levels of related inflammatory cytokines in mice.