Abstract:Objective To investigate the effects of Yunpi Xiefei Huatan Decoction on expressions of proteins associated with nuclear factor-kappa (NF-κB) in lung tissues of asthmatic rats.Methods The rat models of asthma were induced by ovalbumin (OVA) treatment. Specifically, the rats were randomly divided into normal group, model group, high-dose (0.020 mL/g), medium-dose (0.010 mL/g) and low-dose (0.005 mL/g) Yunpi Xiefei Huatan Decoction groups, Western medicine group (0.01 mL/g), and combination group (0.01 mL/g of Chinese medicine + 0.01 mL/g of Western medicine), with 10 rats in each group. The rats were sensitized with intraperitoneal injection of 1 mL of suspension containing 100 mg of ovalbumin and 3100 mg/mL of Al (OH) on day 1 and day 8, followed by stimulation with 1% OVA once every other day since day 15 for a total of 7 sessions. The rats were administrated with according medicines from the 16th day on for a consecutive of 4 weeks, and then the alveolar lavage fluid and lung tissues of rats were collected. The white blood cell (WBC) count and the number of WBC subsets in rat alveolar lavage fluid were determined by Wright-Giemsa staining. Western blotting was used to detect the relative protein expression levels of Iκκ-α and Iκκ-β in rat lung tissues. The mRNA expression levels of Iκκ-α, Iκκ-β, IκBα and IκBβ in rat lung tissues were detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR).Results The WBC count and proportions of eosinophils and neutrophils were higher, and the proportion of monocytes was lower in the model group compared with the normal group (P < 0.05). The WBC count and proportions of eosinophils and neutrophils were lower, and the proportion of monocytes was higher in the high-dose, medium-dose and low-dose Yunpi Xiefei Huatan Decoction groups, Western medicine group, and combination group compared with the model group (P < 0.05). The relative mRNA expression levels of Iκκ-α and Iκκ-β were higher in the model group than those in the normal group (P < 0.05), while those in the high-dose, medium-dose and low-dose Yunpi Xiefei Huatan Decoction groups, Western medicine group, and combination group were lower relative to those in the model group (P < 0.05). Besides, the relative mRNA expression levels of Iκκ-α and Iκκ-β in the combination group were lower than those in the Western medicine group (P < 0.05). The relative mRNA expression levels of IκBα and IκBβ in the model group were lower than those in the normal group (P < 0.05), while they were higher in the high-dose, medium-dose and low-dose Yunpi Xiefei Huatan Decoction groups, Western medicine group, and combination group compared with the model group (P < 0.05). The relative mRNA expression levels of IκBα and IκBβ in the combination group were even higher than those in the Western medicine group (P < 0.05). The relative protein expression levels of Iκκ-α and Iκκ-β in the model groups were higher than those in the normal group (P < 0.05), whereas they were lower in the high-dose, medium-dose and low-dose Yunpi Xiefei Huatan Decoction groups, Western medicine group, and combination group compared with the model group (P < 0.05). In addition, the relative protein expression levels of Iκκ-α and Iκκ-β in the combination group were even lower than those in the Western medicine group (P < 0.05).Conclusions Yunpi Xiefei Huatan Decoction may reduce the levels of pro-inflammatory cells in the alveolar lavage fluid, and upregulate the gene expressions of NF-κB inhibitors IκBα and IκBβ while downregulating the expressions of Iκκ-α and Iκκ-β, thereby alleviating the airway inflammation in asthmatic rats.