Anti-allergic effects of So-Cheong-Ryong-Tang, a traditional Korean herbal medicine, in an allergic rhinitis mouse model

The herbal medicine, So-Cheong-Ryong-Tang (SCRT) has been empirically used for the treatment of allergic rhinitis for hundreds of years; however, its in vivo effects on allergic rhinitis have been rarely elucidated. We aimed to evaluate the anti-allergic effects of SCRT in an allergic rhinitis mouse model and to examine the underlying mechanism(s) of its anti-allergic effects. BALB/c mice were sensitized with ovalbumin (OVA) and alum and then challenged intranasally with OVA. SCRT (1 g/kg) was given to the treatment group, and multiple parameters of allergic responses were evaluated to determine the effects of SCRT on allergic rhinitis. SCRT reduced allergic symptoms, such as rubbing and sneezing, and eosinophil infiltration into the nasal mucosa. It also suppressed serum total IgE, OVA-specific IgE, and OVA-specific IgG1 levels and increased OVA-specific IgG2a level. SCRT significantly reduced expression of the Th2 cytokine, IL-4; however, the expression of IL-5, IFN-γ, and IL-10 was unchanged in the nasal mucosa of the treatment group (by real-time RT-PCR). In splenocyte culture, levels of both IL-4 and IL-5 decreased, and IFN-γ level increased in the treatment group; however, levels of IL-10 and TGF-β were unaffected by administration of SCRT. This study shows that SCRT induced anti-allergic effects by decreasing, locally and systemically, the Th2 cytokine IL-4, isotype switching to IgE, and eosinophilic infiltration into the nasal mucosa in an allergic rhinitis mouse model. Thus, SCRT might be considered a potential therapeutic agent in treating allergic rhinitis.