Evaluation of Broncho-Protective Effect of Zingiber officinale Roscoe in Histamine Induced Broncho-Spasm.

Susanta Rout^1*, Saptarshi Dutta¹ and Bhabagrahi Rath²

¹Department of Pharmacology, L.B.R.I.P.E.R., Khambhat, Anand, Gujarat-388620

²VSS Medical College, Burla, Orissa.

*Corresponding Author E-mail: susanta_rout@rediffmail.com

ABSTRACT:

Bronchial asthma is a common disease around the world and nearly 7.2% (100 million people) have the disease. Presently anti-inflammatory drugs (corticosteroids), mast cell stabilizers (cromolyn), Leucotrine antagonists (zafirlukast) bronchodilators (theophylline) and anti-cholinergics (ipratropium) serve as the mainstay of treatment. But these drugs have their interest limitations in forms of toxicities and high cost of chronic therapy. Therefore suitable herbal remedies are being explored for scientific validation regarding their broncho-protective effect. Ginger has been used by traditional Chinese and Indian medicine for over 25 centuries. The rhizomes and stems of ginger in various forms and routes have been used for their antiemetic effects in motion sickness, sea sickness, hyperemesis, gravidarum, postoperative vomiting and vomiting induced by cytotoxic compounds, for which scientific evidence is either good or unclear. Ginger has also been used as appetizer, digestant, anti-flatulant, carminative, anti-diabetic and anti-migraine agent. Ginger which is distributed throughout India is widely used in Ayurvedic medicine for its anti inflammatory, anti-arthritic analgesic and antiulcer properties.  Apart from that, ginger is also used for a wide array of other conditions, without scientific evidence of benefit i.e. asthma. With this background, the present work has been undertaken to evaluate the broncho-protective effect of aqueous extract of Z.officinale in one animal model of asthma (histamine induced asthma in guinea pigs). These important and significant preliminary findings can be taken as the basis upon which further studies should be carried out to delineate the detailed profile of these pharmacological actions of ginger.

 

 

INTRODUCTION:

Increase in the asthma prevalence in many countries over the recent decades, highlights the need for a greater understanding of the risk factors for asthma. Be­cause asthma is the result of interaction between genetic and environmental fac­tors, increasing prevalence is certainly the result of changes in environmental fac­tors because of process of westernization.^[1] That is the reason for higher prevalence in countries where a traditional to a westernized lifestyle occurred earlier. This increasing prevalence has affected both rural and urban communities. Asthma is a condition of the lungs that results in inflammation of the air-passages. Asthma is a common source of morbidity and a significant cause of preventable mortality. Increase in the asthma prevalence in many countries over the recent decades. The possible role of diet in the development of asthma can be described as follows: first, a food allergen can cause asthma.

 

Second, there is role of breast-feeding for prevention Asthma is a condition of the lungs that results in inflammation of the air-passages. Asthma is a common source of morbidity and a significant cause of preventable mortality. Increase in the asthma prevalence in many countries over the recent decades, highlights the need for a greater understanding of the risk factors for asthma ^[1,2] . The prevalence of asthma is higher in countries where a traditional to a westernized lifestyle occurred earlier suggesting that a given population experiences a progressive increase in asthma cases during the process of westernization. Asthma is itself defined as a multifactorial disease with a large series of causative, inducing, triggering and aggravating factors, each of which help shape the disease phenotype in the single patient by interacting with the expression of his/her unique genetic background at a given age. Because asthma is the result of interaction between genetic and environmental factors ^[3] , increasing prevalence is certainly the result of changes in environmental factors. The hypothesis made to explain the epidemic trend fall into two main groups: one that points to increasing exposure to aggressive factors, and the other that implicates decreasing exposure to protective factors.

Table:–1 Effect of N.S, CPM and Salbutamol on exposition time in Guineapigs exposed to histamine aerosol chamber

Duration of exposition time in sec.
Animal No.	Group- A N.S. (5cc/Kg, P.O)		Group-B CPM (16mg/Kg, P.O)		Group-C Salbutamol (0.8mg/Kg, P.O)		Group-D Salbutamol (1.6mg/Kg, P.O)
	Control	After treatment (45mins.)	Control	After treatment (45mins.)	Control	After treatment (45mins.)	Control	After treatment (45mins.)
1	115	118	110	197	101	169	118	178
2	102	108	121	216	110	157	103	169
3	106	107	109	189	106	154	121	175
4	101	109	115	196	124	160	97	182
5	103	104	97	202	101	148	109	157
6	102	110	109	208	97	151	112	188
7	104	106	124	187	109	160	101	172
8	106	106	106	205	118	148	85	160
9	104	109	118	214	106	150	94	166
10	106	108	101	196	103	161	106	172
Mean	104.9	108.5	111	201	107.5	155.8	104.6	171.9
S.D	3.98	3.77	8.58	9.8	8.23	6.82	11.02	9.51
S.E.	1.26	1.19	2.71	3.1	2.6	2.16	3.48	3.01
T	3.87		22.9		14.28		19.33
P	p>0.001		P<0.001		P<0.001		P<0.001
% of protection	3.31		44.77		31		39.15

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Table: – 2 Effect of AZO, 200mg/Kg, 400mg/Kg, 600mg/Kg, 800mg/Kg, on exposition time of guineapigs exposed  to histamine aerosol chamber

Duration of exposition in secs.
Animal No	(AZO200mg/Kg, P.O)		(AZO400mg/Kg, P.O)		(AZO600mg/Kg, P.O)		AZO(800mg/Kg, P.O)
	Control	After treatment 45mins.	Control	After Treatment 45mins.	Control	After treatment 45mins.	Control	After treatment 45mins.
1	112	121	103	136	127	154	121	172
2	130	136	118	151	106	151	118	166
3	106	106	130	154	121	160	106	169
4	118	124	121	148	118	154	97	172
5	112	118	97	124	130	157	103	157
6	124	157	88	121	115	163	112	170
7	97	142	103	139	100	160	127	181
8	103	136	118	154	109	154	118	172
9	121	127	109	160	97	163	109	166
10	106	109	91	136	112	145	124	178
Mean ()	112.9	127.6	107.8	142.3	113.5	156.1	113.5	170.3
S.D	10.3	15.54	13.79	13.22	10.88	5.66	9.72	6.65
S.E	3.25	4.91	4.36	4.18	3.44	1.79	3.07	2.1
T	2.92		13.32		10.33		23.76
P	>0.01		<0.001		<0.001		<0.001
% of protection	11.52		24.24		27.29		33.35

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The most cited aggressive factors are airborne indoor or outdoor pollutants, high salt intake, indoor allergens, drugs (e.g. contraceptive pills) and vaccines. The principal proposed protective factors are antioxidants, microbial burden and physical exercise. This increasing prevalence has affected both rural and urban communities, suggesting that local environmental factors such as exposure to allergens or industrial air­ pollutions are not the sole cause ^[3,4] . In the last few years, nutrition has represented an important conditioning factor of many cardiovascular, gastro-intestinal and chronic pulmonary diseases. So it has been hypothesized that dietary constituents influence the immune system and thus, may also be actively involved in the onset of asthma and other allergic diseases ^[4] . The possible role of diet in the development of asthma can be described as follows: first, a food allergen can cause asthma. Second, there is role of breast-feeding for prevention of asthma later in life ^[5,6] . Third, a low intake of antioxidative dietary constituents might be a risk factor for asthma ^[7,8].Moreover, role of cations such as sodium, potassium and magnesium has been described in development of asthma. It is viewed primarily as an inflammatory disease that leads to bronchial hyper reactivity and bronchospasm as a result. drugs have their interest limitations in forms of toxicities and high cost of chronic therapy.^[9,10] Therefore suitable herbal remedies are being explored for scientific validation regarding their broncho-protective effect. The objective of present study is to preliminary investigation of the anti asthmatic effect of aqueous extract of Rhizome of Zingiber officinale Roscoe (AZO).

 

MATERIAL AND METHODS:

The histamine induced bronchoconstriction in guineapigs is used to asses by nebuliser and histamine chamber on suitable conditions. All the guineapigs including control group were sensitized with inhalation of histamine.

 

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION:

The treatment with Normal saline, AZO 200, 400, 600, 800mg/kg and salbutamol, chlorpheniramine maleate showed protective effect in the histamine induced bronchospasm. The effect produced by Normal saline,CPM and Salbutamol shown in table-1. AZO 400,600,800 mg/kg (Table:–2) produces highly significant effect towards histamine induced bronchospasm where as AZO 200mg/kg produces less significant effect. Atropine sulphate has no effect in histamine induced bronchospasm.  CPM has significant effect in histamine induced broncho-spasm.

 

CONCLUSION:

The data of present study indicates that AZO possess protective effect against   histamine induced bronchospasm in guineapigs. Humanity stands a chance of getting immensely benefited if a safe substance such as ginger is added to the already existing therapeutic armamentarium against bronchial asthma.

 

REFERENCES:

1.       Schafer T.,1997.Epidemiology of Allergic dsease,Allergy,14-22.

2.       Undem JB, Lawrence ML Drugs used in the treatment of bronchial asthma, 733-54. Goodman and Gilman’s the pharmacological 1993 basis of therapeutics, 10^th Edition, Mc GrawHill J.G. Hardman LE Limbird A.G.Gilman.(Editors)

3.       Castleman M. The New Healing Herbs 2^nd ed. Emmaus, Pennsylvania : Rodale Press ; 2001.

4.       Mutius von E. The rising trends in asthma and allergic disease. Clin Exp Allergy 1998; 28: Suppl. 5: 45-9.

5.       Miljer RL. Breathing fzeely: the need for asdmvresearchon gene­environment interactions. Am J Public Health 1999; 89: 819-22.

6.       Burney P, Chinn S, Rona Rj. Has the prevalence of asthma increased in children,Evidence from the national study of health and growth 1973-86. BMJ 1990; 300: 1306-10.

7.       Kankaanpaa P, Sutas Y, Salminen S, Lichtenstein A, Isolauri E. Dietary fatty acids and allergy. Ann Med 1999; 31: 282-7. 5. Monteleone Ca, Sherman AR. Nutrition and asthma. Arch Intern Med 1997; 157: 23-4.

8.       Bruneton J. Pharmacognosy ; Phytochemistry, Medicinal plants 3^rd ed. Paris ; Intercept. Lavoisier ; 2000.

9.       Peat JK, Li J. Reversing the trend: reducing the prevalence of asthma. J Allergy Clin Immunol 1999; 96: 111-6

10.    Seaton A,Godden DI,,Brown KM.Increase in asthma. a more toxic environment or a  more susceptible population.Thorax 1994; 49: 171-4.

 

 

Received on 23.12.2009       Modified on 20.02.2010

Accepted on 19.03.2010      © RJPT All right reserved