Guben Kechuan granule attenuates bronchial asthma by inhibiting NF-κB/STAT3 signaling pathway-mediated apoptosis

Chronic asthma caused by allergies is a lung illness marked by airway remodeling and hyperresponsiveness. Guben Kechuan (GK) granule is a clinically proven formula for treating lung disease. It relieves cough and helps to clear phlegm, but the mechanisms underlying its treatment for asthma are not clear.

We aimed to elucidate the efficacy and potential mechanisms by which GK ameliorates allergic asthma.

Ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC-LTQ-Orbitrap-MS) identified the main chemical components of GK. The efficacy of GK was studied in an ovalbumin/alum (OVA)/AL(OH)₃-sensitized rat model of bronchial asthma by measuring cytokine concentrations in serum and alveolar lavage samples, examining tissue pathology, and performing leukocyte counts. The mechanisms underlying its effectiveness in asthma were investigated by both transcriptomic and proteomic analyses.

GK relieved asthma-induced airway inflammation and remodeling, reduced inflammatory cell infiltration, and decreased the levels of the inflammatory cytokines TNF-α, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, and IL-10. Analysis of the transcriptomic and proteomic results found that asthma activated the transcription factors STAT3 and NF-κB and induced oxidative-stress damage and apoptosis. GK was found to reduce Bax and caspase-3 expression, increase Bcl-2 expression, and inhibit asthma-induced apoptosis. GK downregulated the expression of the transcription factors STAT3 and NF-kB, which decreased the inflammatory response. Decreases in CAT, SOD, and GSH reduced asthma-induced oxidative-stress damage.

Our findings provide evidence that GK alleviates bronchial asthma by inhibiting apoptosis and oxidative stress damage mediated by the NF-κB/STAT3 signaling pathway.