Conclusions
Gui Zhi Ma Huang Ge Ban Tang had a good therapeutic effect on mice infected with IAV, especially in the cold environment. It could reduce lung inflammation in mice significantly and elicit an anti-influenza effect by downregulating expression of the key factors in TLR7 signaling pathway.
Objective
We wished to investigate the effects of the traditional Chinese medicine Gui Zhi Ma Huang Ge Ban Tang on controlling influenza A virus (IAV) infection and improving inflammation in mouse lungs. Method: Mice were maintained in normal and cold environments and infected with IAV by intranasal application, respectively. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction was used to measure mRNA expression of TLR7, myeloid differentiation primary response 88 (MyD88), and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB)p65 in the TLR7 signaling pathway and virus replication in lungs. Western blotting was used to measure expression levels of TLR7, MyD88, and NF-κB p65 proteins. Flow cytometry was used to detect the proportion of T-helper (Th)1/Th2 and Th17/T-regulatory (Treg) cells.
Results
Application of Gui Zhi Ma Huang Ge Ban Tang in influenza-infected mice in a cold environment showed (i) downregulation of TLR7, MyD88, and NF-κBp65; (ii) inhibition of transcriptional activities of promoters coding for TLR7, MyD88, and NF-κBp65; (iii) reduction in the proportion of Th1/Th2 and Th17/Treg cells. Conclusions: Gui Zhi Ma Huang Ge Ban Tang had a good therapeutic effect on mice infected with IAV, especially in the cold environment. It could reduce lung inflammation in mice significantly and elicit an anti-influenza effect by downregulating expression of the key factors in TLR7 signaling pathway.