PMID:
Altern Ther Health Med. 2019 Jun 1. Epub 2019 Jun 1. PMID: 31221948
Abstract Title:
Improvement of Tracheal Responsiveness and Th1/Th2 Balance in a Rat Model of Asthma, Treated with Portulaca Oleracea.
Abstract:
Context: A large proportion of asthmatic patients use complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) for the treatment of their disease. Various pharmacological effects, including anti-inflammatory properties, have been described for Portulaca oleracea (P. oleracea).Objective: The study intended to evaluate the effects of an extract of P. oleracea on interleukin 4 (IL-4) and interferon-gamma (INF-γ) and on the INF-γ /IL4 ratio, as an index for the balance of T helper 1 and 2 (Th1/Th2) cells, in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) as well as on tracheal responsiveness (TR) in a rat model of asthma.Design: The research team performed an animal study.Animals: Forty-eight male Wistar rats, each weighing 220± 50 g, were included in the study.Intervention: The rats were randomly divided into 6 groups: (1) a control group that was not induced with asthma and that received no treatments (C group), (2) a group induced with asthma that received no treatments (A group), (3) an intervention group induced with asthma and treated with one mg/ml of P. oleracea extract (PO 1 group), (4) an intervention group induced with asthma and treated with 2 mg/ml of P. oleracea extract (PO 2 group), (5) an intervention group induced with asthma and treated with 4 mg/ml of P. oleracea extract (PO 4 group), and (6) a positive control group induced with asthma and treated with 1.25μg/ml dexamethasone (D group). The asthma was induced using ovalbumin (OVA).Outcome Measures: Tracheal responsiveness and the BALF levels of IL-4 and INF-γ and the INF-γ/IL4 ratio were measured.Results: Tracheal responsiveness to methacholine in the A and PO 1 groups and to OVA in the A, PO 1, and PO 2 groups as well as the BALF levels of IL-4 in the A, D, PO 1, PO 2, and PO 4 groups were significantly higher than that of the C group. The BALF level of INF-γ and the INF-γ/IL4 ratio were significantly lower in the A, D, PO 1, PO 2, and PO 4 groups than in the C group. Only treatment with the 2 higher concentrations of the extract caused a concentration-dependent increase in the INF-γ/IL4 ratio (P
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