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Updated: Apr 28, 2026
Assessment of Respiratory Function in Conscious Mice by Double-chamber Plethysmography
Published on: July 10, 2018
Antiasthmatic effects of schizandrae fructus extract in mice with asthma
Hyungwoo Kim1, Yong-Tae Ahn2, Youn Sook Kim3
1Associate Professor, School of Korean Medicine, Pusan National University, Pusan, South Korea.
Background:
Schizandrae fructus (SF), the fruit of Schisandra chinensis, has been used for the treatment of cough, wheezing, dry mouth, hepatitis, cardiovascular disease, and as a tonic and astringent in China, Japan, and Korea.
Objective:
Investigation of the antiasthmatic effects of SF.
Materials And Methods:
We investigated the effects of SF on airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) to methacholine, production levels of antigen-specific antibodies, and histopathological changes in the lung tissue in a mouse model (Balb/c) of asthma induced by repeated intranasal instillation of an antigen.
Results:
SF lowered AHR to methacholine (P < 0.05), antigen-specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) level (P < 0.01), and immune cell infiltration in mice with asthma. Prednisolone (PD) effectively decreased AHR (P < 0.01), total antibody (P < 0.01) and IgE (P < 0.01) levels, and immune cell infiltration. SF and PD did not affect the levels of antigen-specific IgG1 and IgG2a antibodies.
Conclusion:
Our data suggest that SF has possible application as an antiasthmatic drug. We also suggest that SF could be used as a complementary or alternative medicine to glucocorticoids.
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