cortex Mordi(Morus alba L.), the root bark of mulberry tree, has been used as an antiphlogistie, diuretic, and expectorant in herbal medicine. Previous studies have demonstrated that Cortex Mori had inhibitory effects on the compound
48/80-induced
degranulation and histamine release from rat peritoneal mast cells. The purpose of this study was to determine whether Cortex Mori could inhibit the ovalbumin (OA)-induced late asthmatic reaction in guinea pigs. Guinca pigs were sensitized by two
exposures to aerosol of OA (1.0%) and then challenged with aerosolized antigen (2.0%) The animals were pretreated by three inhalations of the aerosoled Cortex Mori either before antigen sensitization or challenge. Bronchoalveolar lavage
fluid(BALF)
and
peripheral blood were colected at 17 hours after OA challenge. The cell populations in BALF and peripheral blood were examined to determine the changes of the relative proportions of eosinophils, neutrophils and mononulear cells etc.
Beta-glucuronidase
activity in ALF was measured to evaluate the alveolar macrophage activation. OA-induced histamine release from guinea pig peritoneal fluid cells was mesured by radioisotope enzymatic assay. Results were as follows. The namber of eosinophils,
neutrophils, neutrophils and lymphocytes recovered in BALF were significantly increased in the 17h following aeroslo challenge with OA. Among them, eosinophils and neutrophils were deereased remarkably in group that has been group pretreated with
CM
before sensitization but decreased in group blood reated with CM before challenge. After OA challenge, the number of eosinophils in perijpheral blood were markedly inereased, but Cortex Mori inhibited significantly the OA-induced eosinophilia.
Beta-glucuronidase activity in the supernatants of BALF were significanlty increased in the 17h following aerosol challenge OA. Pretreatment of Cortex Mori had no influence on beta-glucuronidase detivity, suggesting that Cortex Mori had no
inhibitory
effect on OA-induced alveolar macrophage activation. Cortex Mori inhibited the OA-induced histamine release from guinea pig peritoneal fluid cells. From the above results, it is suggested that Cortex Mori contains some substanves with an activity
to
inhibit the OA-induced early and late phase reaction of the bronchial asthma in guinea pigs.
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