Inhibitory effects of Stemona tuberosa on lung inflammation in a subacute cigarette smokeinduced mouse model

Hyeonhoon Lee, Kyung Hwa Jung, Soojin Park, Yun Seo Kil, Eun Young Chung, Young Pyo Jang, Eun Kyoung Seo, Hyunsu Bae

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

21 Scopus citations

Abstract

Background: Stemona tuberosa has long been used in Korean and Chinese medicine to ameliorate various lung diseases such as pneumonia and bronchitis. However, it has not yet been proven that Stemona tuberosa has positive effects on lung inflammation. Methods: Stemona tuberosa extract (ST) was orally administered to C57BL/6 mice 2 hr before exposure to CS for 2 weeks. Twenty-four hours after the last CS exposure, mice were sacrificed to investigate the changes in the expression of cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6), chemokines such as keratinocyte-derived chemokine (KC) and inflammatory cells such as macrophages, neutrophils, and lymphocytes from bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). Furthermore, we compared the effect of ST on lung tissue morphology between the fresh air, CS exposure, and ST treatment groups. Results: ST significantly decreased the numbers of total cells, macrophages, neutrophils, and lymphocytes in the BALF of mice that were exposed to CS. Additionally, ST reduced the levels of cytokines (TNF-α, IL-6) and the tested chemokine (KC) in BALF, as measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). We also estimated the mean alveolar airspace (MAA) via morphometric analysis of lung tissues stained with hematoxylin and eosin (H & E). We found that ST inhibited the alveolar airspace enlargement induced by CS exposure. Furthermore, we observed that the lung tissues of mice treated with ST showed ameliorated epithelial hyperplasia of the bronchioles compared with those of mice exposed only to CS. Conclusions: These results indicate that Stemona tuberosa has significant effects on lung inflammation in a subacute CS-induced mouse model. According to these outcomes, Stemona tuberosa may represent a novel therapeutic herb for the treatment of lung diseases including COPD.

Original languageEnglish
Article number513
JournalBMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Volume14
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - 20 Dec 2014

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
This work was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology (No. 2011–0006220). We thank College of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University for the support to Hyeonhoon Lee (URP No. 2012–3).

Keywords

  • BALF
  • COPD
  • CS
  • IL-6
  • Stemona tuberosa
  • TNF-α

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Inhibitory effects of Stemona tuberosa on lung inflammation in a subacute cigarette smokeinduced mouse model'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this