The Potent Chinese Herbs for Inhibiting Cytotoxicity of Eosinophil Cationic Protein

The eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) is cytotoxic to bacteria, viruses, parasites and mammalian cells. The cells were damaged via the processes of pore-forming, permeability change and membrane leaking. Some clinical studies reported that ECP gathered in the bronchial tract of asthma patients, the bronchial and the airway epithelial cells were damaged and thus resulted in breathing tract inflammation. Therefore, inhibition of the cytotoxicity of ECP may serve as an approach for treatment of airway inflammation. To reach the purpose, reduction of the ECP/cell interaction is rational. In Chinese populations, herbs and prescriptions have been used to mitigate the airway inflammation with the chronic or acute symptoms. In this work, the relative binding ability between ECP and Beas-2B bronchial epithelial cells was measured by cell-based ELISA with or without adding Chinese herbs. Eighty three Chinese herbs or prescriptions were tested and 5 and 6 effective herb and prescription candidates were selected, respectively. According to the combinatory network generated from single-herbal drugs and prescriptions, a combinative network was established, and we found that a single herb, Gan-cao (甘草), served as a node connecting 5 prescriptions. In addition, Sheng-di-huang (生地黃), Dang-guei (當歸) and Mu-tong (木通) appeared in 5, 4 and 3 kinds of prescriptions, respectively. After further characterization, the extracts of these 3 herbs indeed effectively inhibit the interaction between ECP and Beas-2B cells. Since these Chinese herbs can reduce the binding affinity between ECP and cells, they are potential for * Correspondence: [email protected] The Third International Symposium on Optimization and Systems Biology (OSB’09) Zhangjiajie, China, September 20–22, 2009 Copyright © 2009 ORSC & APORC, pp. 311–318 mitigating the airway inflammation symptoms.