Effect of Scutellariae Radix extract on experimental dextran-sulfate sodium-induced colitis in rats

AIM:To investigate the effect of Scutellariae Radix extract(SRE)on ulcerative colitis(UC)in rats induced by dextran-sulfate sodium(DSS).METHODS:Colitis was induced in male Sprague-Dawley(SD)rats(170-180 g)by 4% dextran sulfate sodium(DSS,wt/v;MW 54 000)in drinking water for 8 d.The treated rats received 4% DSS and SRE orally(100 mg/kg per day).Control rats received either tap water or SRE only.Macroscopic assessment which included body weight changes,fecal occult blood and stool consistency were determined daily.At the appointed time,the rats were sacrificed and the entire colons were removed.The colon length and the myeloperoxidase(MPO)activity were measured.The severity of colitis was graded by morphological and histological assessments.The ion transport activity of the colonic mucosa was assessed by electrophysiological technique.RESULTS:Rats treated with oral administration of 4% DSS regularly developed clinical and macroscopic signs of colitis.Treatment with SRE relieved the symptoms,including the reduction in body weight,shortening and ulceration of the colon.Administration of SRE also significantly reduced the histological damage induced by DSS.Moreover,the ISC responses of the colonic mucosato forskolin were suppressed after the induction of colitis.The stimulated ion transport activity of DSS-rats treated with SRE displayed significant improvement in the secretory responsiveness.CONCLUSION:SRE was effective in treating acute DSS-induced ulcerative colitis,as gauged by reduced clinical disease,improved macroscopic and histological damage scores,and enhanced recovery of normal colonic secretory function.

Meteorin-β/Meteorin like/IL-41 attenuates airway inflammation in house dust mite-induced allergic asthma

We sought to examine the regulatory effect of Meteorin-β(Metrnβ)/Meteorin like(Metrnl)/IL-41 on lung inflammation in allergic asthma.We found that Metrnβwas elevated significantly in asthmatic patients and in mice with allergic asthma induced by house dust mite(HDM)extract.Upon exposure to HDM,Metrnβwas secreted predominantly by airway epithelial cells and inflammatory cells,including macrophages and eosinophils.The increased Metrnβeffectively blocked the development of airway hyperreactivity(AHR)and decreased inflammatory cell airway infiltration and type 2 cytokine production,which was associated with downregulated DC-mediated adaptive immune responses.Moreover,Metrnβimpaired the maturation and function of bone marrow-derived dendritic cells in vitro.Asthmatic mice adoptively transferred with dendritic cells isolated from Metrnβ-treated allergic mice displayed decreased AHR,airway inflammation,and lung injury.Metrnβalso displayed anti-inflammatory properties in immunodeficient SCID mice with allergic asthma and in in vitro 3D ALI airway models.Moreover,blockade of Metrnβby anti-Metrnβantibody treatment promoted the development of allergic asthma.These results revealed the unappreciated protective roles of Metrnβin alleviating DC-mediated Th2 inflammation in allergic asthma,providing the novel treatment strategy of therapeutic targeting of Metrnβin allergic asthma.