%0 Journal Article
%T Anti-Inflammatory, Immunomodulatory, and Heme Oxygenase-1 Inhibitory Activities of Ravan Napas, a Formulation of Uighur Traditional Medicine, in a Rat Model of Allergic Asthma
%A Sajida Abdureyim
%A Nurmuhammat Amat
%A Anwar Umar
%A Halmurat Upur
%A Benedicte Berke
%A Nicholas Moore
%J Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
%D 2011
%I Hindawi Publishing Corporation
%R 10.1155/2011/725926
%X Ravan Napas (RN) is a traditional formula used to treat pulmonary symptoms and diseases such as coughing, breathing difficulty, and asthma in traditional Uighur medicine. The purpose of this study was to investigate the anti-inflammatory, and immuno-modulatory activity of RN in a well-characterized animal model of allergic asthma. Rats were sensitized with intraperitoneal (ip) ovalbumin (OVA) and alum, and then challenged with OVA aerosols. The asthma model rats were treated with RN; saline- and dexamethasone- (DXM-) treated rats served as normal and model controls. The bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) cellular differential and the concentrations of sICAM-1, IL-4, IL-5, TNF-, INF-, and IgE in serum were measured. Lung sections underwent histological analysis. The immunohistochemistry S-P method was used to measure the expression of ICAM-1 and HO-1 in the lung. RN significantly reduced the number of inflammatory cells in BALF and lung tissues, decreased sICAM-1, IL-4, IL-5, TNF-, and IgE in serum, and increased serum INF-. There was a marked suppression of ICAM-1 and HO-1 expression in the lung. Our results suggest that RN may have an anti-inflammatory and immuneregulatory effect on allergic bronchial asthma by modulating the balance between Th1/Th2 cytokines.
%U http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ecam/2011/725926/