[Effect of epimedium herb on RANTES and monocyte chemotactic protein-3 expression in lung tissue of asthmatic rats].

Objective To observe the effects of epimedium herb(EH),a Chinese herb for replenishing Shen,on regulated on activation,normal T call expressed and secreted(RANTES)and monocyte chemotactic pro- tein-3(MCP-3)expression in lung tissue of asthmatic rats,for further exploring the action mechanism of EH in treating asthma.Methods Brown Norway rats were randomly divided into six groups:the normal control group (A),the allergic asthma model group(B),the group of model rat treated with dexamethasone(C),and the three groups of model rat treated with low(0.125 g/mL),medium(0.5 g/mL),high(2.0 g/mL)dose of EH(D,E and F).RANTES and MCP-3 mRNA expressions in lung tissue were tested with Real-time PCR and the serum lev- els of tumor necrosis factorα(TNF-α),interleukin-4(IL-4),and interleukin-5(IL-5)were measured by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA).Results As compared with the model group(B),RANTES,MCP-3 ex- pression and TNF-αwere lower in the 4 treated groups(C,D,E and F,P0.05 or P0.01);IL-4 was lower in Group C,E and F(P=0.007,P=0.047,P=0.033),while that in Group D was higher than that in Group C(P=0.012).As for level of IL-5,lowering was shown only in Group C and F(P=0.003,P=0.005).Con- clusion Applying EH in the attack stage of asthma can alleviate the airway inflammation by down-regulating the expression of RANTES and MCP-3 in lung tissue.