Comparative Research of the Curative Effects of Pinelliae Rhizoma and Pinelliae Rhizoma Praeparatum cum Alumine on Ovalbumin-induced Allergic Asthma in Rats

Aim: This study was designed to compare the curative effects of Pinelliae Rhizoma (RPT) and Pinelliae Rhizoma Praeparatum cum Alumine (QPT) on ovalbumin (OVA)‑induced allergic asthma in rats. Materials and Methods: Asthmatic rats were prepared by intraperitoneal injection and inhalation of OVA, and RPT and QPT at the doses of 120 and 240 mg/kg/day were administered orally for consecutive 7 days. Then, histopathological changes of the lung tissues were examined; levels of interleukin (IL)‑4 and interferon (IFN)‑γ in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluids (BALFs) and immunoglobulin (Ig) E in the serum were measured by enzyme‑linked immunosorbent assay; eosinophils (EOS) in BALFs were also determined. Furthermore, the expressions of mucin 5AC (MUC5AC) and AQP‑5 in the lung tissues were determined by quantitative real‑time fluorogenic polymerase chain reaction and western blot assays. Besides, high‑performance liquid chromatography‑LTQ‑Orbitrap‑Elite‑MS analysis was applied to compare the constituent’s difference between the RPT and QPT. Results: The present results revealed that both the RPT and QPT have the potential curative effects for treating OVA‑induced asthma in rats via inhibiting inflammatory reactions (suppressing EOS influx, IgE secretion, and release of IL‑4 whereas increasing the release of IFN‑γ) and modulating the mRNA and protein expressions of MUC5AC and AQP‑5. In addition, our results also evidenced that QPT exhibited a better curative effect on allergic asthmatic rats compared to RPT. Conclusion: Our results are beneficial for confirming the traditional Chinese medicinal theory of “QPT is good at removing dampness to reduce phlegm.”