Modified Dingchuan Decoction treats cough-variant asthma by suppressing lung inflammation and regulating the lung microbiota

Lingmiao Wen; Tinglan Zhang; Fangfang Chen; Lin Hu; Chongyang Dou; Xian Ding; Alvin Altamirano; Guihua Wei; Zhiyong Yan

doi:10.1016/j.jep.2023.116171

Modified Dingchuan Decoction treats cough-variant asthma by suppressing lung inflammation and regulating the lung microbiota

J Ethnopharmacol. 2023 Apr 24:306:116171. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2023.116171. Epub 2023 Jan 13.

Authors

Lingmiao Wen¹, Tinglan Zhang², Fangfang Chen³, Lin Hu⁴, Chongyang Dou⁵, Xian Ding⁶, Alvin Altamirano⁷, Guihua Wei⁸, Zhiyong Yan⁹

Affiliations

¹ School of Life Science and Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, 610031, China. Electronic address: Wen_lingmiao@my.swjtu.edu.cn.
² School of Life Science and Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, 610031, China. Electronic address: zhangtinglan@my.swjtu.edu.cn.
³ School of Life Science and Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, 610031, China; Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100700, China. Electronic address: chenfangfang@my.swjtu.edu.cn.
⁴ School of Life Science and Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, 610031, China. Electronic address: hulin.swjtu.edu.cn@my.swjtu.edu.cn.
⁵ School of Life Science and Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, 610031, China. Electronic address: dou@my.swjtu.edu.cn.
⁶ School of Life Science and Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, 610031, China. Electronic address: dingxian@my.swjtu.edu.cn.
⁷ Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, 86011, USA. Electronic address: Alvin.Altamirano@nau.edu.
⁸ School of Life Science and Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, 610031, China. Electronic address: weiguihua@home.swjtu.edu.cn.
⁹ School of Life Science and Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, 610031, China. Electronic address: yzhiy@swjtu.edu.cn.

PMID: 36646156
DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2023.116171

Abstract

Ethnopharmacological relevance: Modified Dingchuan Decoction (MDD) is a Chinese medicine formula containing 11 materials with cough suppression, asthma relief, and anti-inflammatory effects.

Aim of the study: This study aimed to evaluate the therapeutic effect of MDD on cough-variant asthma (CVA) and to investigate its mechanism of action.

Materials and methods: The chemical constituents of MDD were analyzed by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole/electrostatic field orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-Orbitrap HRMS). A guinea pig CVA model was established using an intramuscular injection of ovalbumin (OVA), combined with an intraperitoneal injection of aluminum hydroxide [Al(OH)₃] and nebulized OVA. At the beginning of day 18, the low, medium, and high MDD groups were gavaged with 7.23 g/kg, 14.46 g/kg, and 28.92 g/kg of MDD, respectively, and the positive group was gavaged with 5 mg/kg of prednisone acetate combined with 1 mg/kg of montelukast sodium; the normal and model groups were given an equal volume of distilled water, once a day for 21 days. The cough was induced by 10^-3 mol/L capsaicin solution 1 h after the last administration, and the number of coughs and the latency of coughs were evaluated. Hematoxylin and eosin staining (H&E) was used to observe pathological changes in the lungs and airways. The concentration of inflammatory factors in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). We analyzed the lung microbiota using 16 S ribosomal DNA (16 S rDNA) high-throughput sequencing.

Results: The 38 chemical components were found in MDD, and MDD reduced the number of coughs in guinea pigs with CVA, prolonged cough latency, improved pathological damage to the lungs and airways, regulated inflammatory factor levels in BALF, and modulated the lung microbiota.

Conclusions: This study demonstrated that treating CVA with MDD may be related to inhibiting lung inflammation and regulating lung microbiota.

Keywords: Cough-variant asthma; Inflammation; Lung; Lung microbiota; Modified dingchuan decoction.

MeSH terms

Animals
Asthma* / drug therapy
Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid
Cough / drug therapy
Disease Models, Animal
Guinea Pigs
Inflammation / pathology
Lung
Mice
Mice, Inbred BALB C
Ovalbumin / pharmacology
Pneumonia* / pathology

Substances

Ovalbumin