Ligustrazine corrects Th1/Th2 and Treg/Th17 imbalance in a mouse asthma model

Ning-fei Ji; Yu-chun Xie; Ming-shun Zhang; Xin Zhao; Hui Cheng; Hong Wang; Kai-sheng Yin; Mao Huang

doi:10.1016/j.intimp.2014.04.015

Ligustrazine corrects Th1/Th2 and Treg/Th17 imbalance in a mouse asthma model

Int Immunopharmacol. 2014 Jul;21(1):76-81. doi: 10.1016/j.intimp.2014.04.015. Epub 2014 Apr 29.

Authors

Ning-fei Ji¹, Yu-chun Xie², Ming-shun Zhang³, Xin Zhao⁴, Hui Cheng⁵, Hong Wang⁴, Kai-sheng Yin⁴, Mao Huang⁶

Affiliations

¹ Department of Respiratory Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210029, China; Department of Geriatrics, Jiangsu Province Geriatric Hospital, Nanjing 210024, China.
² Central Laboratory, Jiangsu Province Geriatric Hospital, Nanjing 210024, China.
³ Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210029, China.
⁴ Department of Respiratory Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210029, China.
⁵ Intensive Care Unit, Jiangsu Province Geriatric Hospital, Nanjing 210024, China.
⁶ Department of Respiratory Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210029, China. Electronic address: hm6114@126.com.

PMID: 24785327
DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2014.04.015

Abstract

Asthma is an inflammatory disease closely associated with activated T cells in the lung. Imbalances in Th1/Th2 and Treg/Th17 have been found in asthmatic patients. Ligustrazine from the Chinese herb chuanxiong has been used in China in combination with glucocorticoids to treat asthma. Previous studies have proved that ligustrazine can modulate the expression of transcription factors for Th1 (T-bet) and Th2 (Gata-3) in asthma. In the present study, ligustrazine alleviated allergic airway inflammation in a mouse asthmatic model by reducing the influx of eosinophils and neutrophils, which was mediated, at least in part, by the regulation of Th1/Th2 and Treg/Th17 via the re-balance of cytokine profiles and of ratios of transcription factors, T-bet/Gata-3 and Foxp3/RORγt, thus providing new insights into the mechanisms of action for asthma treatment with ligustrazine.

Keywords: Asthma; Foxp3; Gata-3; Ligustrazine; RORγt; T-bet.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Animals
Asthma / drug therapy*
Asthma / immunology
Cells, Cultured
Cytokines / metabolism
Disease Models, Animal
Drugs, Chinese Herbal / administration & dosage*
Eosinophils / drug effects*
Eosinophils / immunology
Female
Gene Expression Regulation / drug effects
Homeostasis / drug effects
Humans
Mice
Mice, Inbred C57BL
Neutrophils / drug effects*
Neutrophils / immunology
Ovalbumin / immunology
Pyrazines / administration & dosage*
T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / drug effects*
T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / immunology
Th1-Th2 Balance / drug effects
Th17 Cells / drug effects*
Th17 Cells / immunology
Transcription Factors / genetics
Transcription Factors / metabolism

Substances

Cytokines
Drugs, Chinese Herbal
Pyrazines
Transcription Factors
Ovalbumin
tetramethylpyrazine