Antiinflammatory effect of Cissus quadragularis in asthma induced by ovalbumin in mice

Abstract

Asthma is a disease characterized by difficulty breathing. According to the WHO, asthma affects approximately 300 million people worldwide. In Africa, its prevalence is between 1 and 12 % depending on the country. In Cameroon, about 5.7 % of the population suffers from asthma. The objective of our work was to evaluate the antiinflammatory effect of Cissus quadrangularis in asthma induced by ovalbumin in mice. For this purpose, thirty (30) female mice subdivided into 6 groups of 5 mice each were distributed. All animals (except normal control) were subjected to disease induction for 16 days. The animals were injected intraperitoneally on days 0 and 7 with 20 μg of ovalbumin mixed with 1 mg of aluminum hydroxide (as adjuvant) in a total volume of 200 μl of phosphate buffered saline (PH=7.4). Days 14, 15, and 16 after the initial injection with ovalbumin, mice were re-exposed by intranasal instillation with 20 μg ovalbumin in 20 μl phosphate saline once daily. The extract as well as dexametasone were administered daily to the mice for 17 days orally at doses of 75, 150, 300 and 1 mg/kg respectively to the test batches and to the positive control 1 h before the initial sensitization. The animals were sacrificed 24 h after the last instillation. Blood, liver, lungs, and pulmonary fluid were collected. Dosages of IgE, cytokines (IL-4, IL-5 and IL-13), and counting of cells in the pulmonary fluid were carried out. Our results showed that the pretreatment with the extract significantly reduced (P < 0.001) the level of total IgE, there is also a significant inhibition (P < 0.001) of the recruitment of inflammatory cells in the lungs and a significant decrease (P < 0.001) the level of inflammatory cytokines. Similarly, the administration of the extract at a dose of 150 mg/kg significantly reduced (P < 0.001) the level of MDA correlated with a significant increase (P < 0.001) in the level of SOD, CAT and GHS compared to the control negative. Furthermore, the histological analyzes of the lungs showed that the pretreatment with the extract leads to an improvement in the histopathological changes; these results suggest that the aqueous extract of Cissus quadrangularis improves inflammation in ovalbumin-induced asthma in mice.