Influence of Three Kinds of Traditional Chinese Therapies on Airway Remodeling in Asthmatic Rats

Abstract This paper was aimed at observing the protective effects of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) varying in therapeutic methods on airway remodeling in bronchial asthma. Three TCM decoctions, representing body resistance-strengthening therapy, lung-diffusing therapy, and combination therapy, were prepared and administrated peroral to asthmatic rats induced by ovalbumin. Eosinophils (EOS) were counted in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), and levels of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP-9) and tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinase (TIMP)-1 were detected in serum by ELISA. The results showed that compared with the control group administration of TCM recipes is significantly effective in reducing EOS infiltration into BALF; there was a drop in MMP-1 level and a rise in TIMP-1 level. It was concluded that the three TCM therapies exerted similar protective effects against bronchial asthma. The improvement in airway remodeling can be attributed in part to the inhibiting infiltration of EOS, down-regulating MMP-9 expression and up-regulating TIMP-1 expression.