Traditional Medicinal Plants Conferring Protection Against Ovalbumin-Induced Asthma in Experimental Animals: A Review

Abstract

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the respiratory tract in which the numerous immune cells, including eosinophils, neutrophils, macrophages, T-lymphocytes, mast cells and epithelial lining play key roles. The numerous anti-asthmatic drugs are available in modern medicine to treat asthma, but they have several disadvantages, including side effects and the cost variations, which compromise treatment compliance. The literature review reveals that traditional herbal medicines have good potential as alternative treatment and management for asthma. However, communities hesitated to use the traditional herbal medicines due to lack of established mechanism of action about their anti-asthmatic potential. The present review aimed to summarise the information stated in the literature about the potential effect of traditional medicinal plants (TMPs) conferring protection against ovalbumin (OVA)-induced asthma model. The literature search was conducted in database like PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar and ScienceDirect. After screening through the literature from 2011 to date, a total of 27 medicinal plants and two polyherbal extracts have been reported to be used as traditional herbal medicines and also utilised to be tested against OVA-induced asthma, were included. We found them to be an important alternative source of treatment for asthma, since some have comparable efficacies with drugs commonly used in the modern system against asthma. All the reported medicinal plants confirmed their traditional use against asthma or its related inflammation. The present review provides faith in traditional information and also offers new insight into the potential of natural products against asthma.

Keywords:

• OVA-induced asthma
• traditional medicinal plants
• natural products
• allergic asthma
• inflammation
• T-helper cells

Consent for Publication

The final version of the manuscript was reviewed by all the authors and consented to its submission.

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Universiti Kuala Lumpur Royal College of Medicine Perak, Malaysia for providing necessary facilities and resources to complete this study for publication.

Author Contributions

S.A., and M.S. conceived the idea. S.A., M.S., and S.R.B. designed, collected the literature, interpreted the data, analyzed the data, drafted and revised the manuscript. All the authors have made noteworthy contributions to the study design, data collection, review and interpretation; have engaged in the drafting or revision of the article; have agreed to submit to the current journal; have given final approval of the version to be published; and have agreed to be responsible for all aspects of the work.

Disclosure

The authors have no conflict of interest associated with this work or publication. There was no significant financial support for this work.