Study of Chung-Pae as a potential therapeutic agent against chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Chung-pae (??, CP), an empirical traditional Korean medicine formula, composed of Ephedrae Herba (??) Caryophylli Flos (??) Pogostemonis (Agastachis) Herba (??) Zingiberis Rhizoma Crudus (??), is being prescribed as an inhalant for the treatment of respiratory symptoms, such as dyspnea and cough, at Kyung Hee University Korean Medicine Hospital. The aim of this study is to investigate the safety and efficacy of this formula as a therapeutics against COPD.

As CP is given to patients as an inhalant, mice received CP in aerosol. For the study of therapeutic effects of CP on COPD, a COPD mouse model were established by administering an i.t. spraying of 0.25 Unit of porcine pancreatic elastase on day 1 and 7 µg of lipopolysaccaride (LPS) on day 4 in a week for 3 consecutive weeks. For the test of therapeutic effects of CP, mice received either an i.t. CP (5 mg/kg or 20 mg/kg) or PBS 2h after each i.t. spraying of LPS. 3 days after the final i.t. LPS administration, mice were euthanized for the analysis of lung. The therapeutic effect of CP was assessed by lung histology and semi-quantitative RT-PCR analysis of COPD-associated proinflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, TNF-α, IL-6, and TGF-β) in lung tissue. Adverse effect of CP was determined by measuring changes of weights of body and internal organs and biomarkers for the integrity of liver and kidney.

In COPD mice, i.t. CP relieved the manifestations of COPD by suppressing inflammation and vacuolization in the lung. CP did not significantly affect the whole body and internal organ weights and biomarkers in blood for liver and kidney. CP delivered in aerosol is safe and effective in remitting COPD in a COPD mouse model. Based on the results, we suggest that CP can be developed as a therapeutics against COPD.