Traditional Chinese medicine suggests that renal deficiency is a causative factor of
asthma, and tonifying kidney drugs are believed to be an appropriate and beneficial treatment. The adrenal medullary chromaffin cells (AMCC) transition to the neuronal phenotype is known to occur in
asthma, as evidenced by degranulation of chromaffin granules, decline of
epinephrine (EPI) and phenylethanolamine-n-methyl
transferase (PNMT), and obvious alterations in cellular architecture. In this study, rats were sensitized and challenged with
ovalbumin, then treated with Kidney-Tonifying Recipe (KTR) to evaluate the
therapeutic effect. Tissues were evaluated for changes in pathology and EPI, PNMT, and
peripherin expression. Degranulation of chromaffin granules and appearance of neurite-like process were found in AMCC from asthmatic rats, and these changes were corrected by KTR treatment. EPI and PNMT expressions were decreased in asthmatic rats and increased by KTR treatment.
Peripherin expression was increased in asthmatic rats and decreased in the KTR-treated group. Morphological changes and decreases in EPI were observed when cultured AMCC were exposed to sera from asthmatic rats in vitro, and these changes were attenuated with the addition of sera from KRT-treated rats. These results suggest that the Kidney-Tonifying Recipe is capable of repairing
asthma-associated alterations in endocrine function and the ultrastructure of AMCC.