Zingiber mioga (Thunb.) Roscoe attenuates allergic asthma induced by ovalbumin challenge.

Zingiber mioga (Thunb.) Roscoe (ZM) is a traditional medicine, used to treat inflammatory diseases. The present study aimed to evaluate the inhibitory effects of ZM on the inflammatory response in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW264.7 murine macrophage cells and in a mouse model of ovalbumin (OVA)-induced allergic asthma. Mice received OVA sensitization on day 0 and 14, and were challenged with OVA between days 21 and 23. ZM was administered to the mice at a dose of 30 mg/kg, 1 h prior to OVA challenge. In LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells, ZM significantly decreased nitric oxide (NO) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-a production in a concentration-dependent manner, and mRNA expression of inducible NO synthase (iNOS), TNF-a and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 was reduced. In addition, treatment with ZM decreased the inflammatory cell count in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid from the mice, and reduced the expression of interleukin (IL)-4, IL-5, IL-13, eotaxin and immunoglobulin E. ZM also reduced airway hyperresponsiveness in OVA-challenged mice, and attenuated the infiltration of inflammatory cells and mucus production in the airways, with a decrease in the expression of iNOS and MMP-9 in lung tissue. In conclusion, the results of the present study indicate that ZM effectively inhibits inflammatory responses. Therefore, it may be that ZM has potential as a therapeutic agent for use in inflammatory diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]