Anti-Inflammatory, Immunomodulatory, and Heme Oxygenase-1 Inhibitory Activities of Ravan Napas, a Formulation of Uighur Traditional Medicine, in a Rat Model of Allergic Asthma

Abstract EN

Ravan Napas (RN) is a traditional formula used to treat pulmonary symptoms and diseases such as coughing, breathing difficulty, and asthma in traditional Uighur medicine.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the anti-inflammatory, and immuno-modulatory activity of RN in a well-characterized animal model of allergic asthma.

Rats were sensitized with intraperitoneal (ip) ovalbumin (OVA) and alum, and then challenged with OVA aerosols.

The asthma model rats were treated with RN; saline- and dexamethasone- (DXM-) treated rats served as normal and model controls.

The bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) cellular differential and the concentrations of sICAM-1, IL-4, IL-5, TNF-α, INF-γ, and IgE in serum were measured.

Lung sections underwent histological analysis.

The immunohistochemistry S-P method was used to measure the expression of ICAM-1 and HO-1 in the lung.

RN significantly reduced the number of inflammatory cells in BALF and lung tissues, decreased sICAM-1, IL-4, IL-5, TNF-α, and IgE in serum, and increased serum INF-γ.

There was a marked suppression of ICAM-1 and HO-1 expression in the lung.

Our results suggest that RN may have an anti-inflammatory and immuneregulatory effect on allergic bronchial asthma by modulating the balance between Th1/Th2 cytokines.