Effect of San-ao Decoction, a traditional Chinese prescription, on IL-4 treated normal human bronchial epithelium

Ethnopharmacological relevance: San-ao Decoction (SA) is a classical prescription, clinically employed to treat asthma in Chinese medicine. Aim of study: The present study was designed to examine whether SA has a protective effect on normal human bronchial epithelium modeled by interleukin-4 (IL-4), in association with eotaxin-3. Materials and methods: SA is made of three traditional Chinese medicines: Herba Ephedrae, Semen Armeniacae amarum and Radix Glycyrrhizae. Apoptosis was measured by fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry with IL-4 activated NHBE. In addition, eotaxin-3 mRNA's expression was detected by RT-PCR in NHBE stimulated with IL-4. Results: Fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry showed that IL-4-induced normal human bronchial epithelium (NHBE) apoptosis, while SA decreased the apoptosis of NHBE with IL-4 stimulation. RT-PCR showed no expression or low expression of eotaxin-3 mRNA on NHBE, IL-4 enhanced the eotaxin-3 mRNA's expression, and that could be decreased by SA. Conclusions: The results indicate that SA can decrease NHBE's damage and inflammation through reducing eotaxin-3 mRNA expression. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.