Research Article The Effects of Maekmoondong-Tang on Cockroach Extract-Induced Allergic Asthma Soojin Park, 1 Sung-Hwa Sohn, 1 Kyung-Hwa Jung, 1 Kun-young Lee, 2 Yu Rim Yeom, 2 Gae-Eun Kim, 2 Sungki Jung, 2 Heejae Jung, 2 and Hyunsu Bae 1 1 Department of Physiology, College of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Number 1 Hoegi-dong, Dongdaemungu, Seoul 130-701, Republic of Korea 2 Division of Allergy and Respiratory System, College of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul 130-701, Republic of Korea Correspondence should be addressed to Hyunsu Bae; hbae@khu.ac.kr Received 24 September 2013; Revised 14 January 2014; Accepted 23 January 2014; Published 3 March 2014 Academic Editor: Richard L. Nahin Copyright © 2014 Soojin Park et al. his is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Maekmoondong-tang (MMDT) has long been used in Asian countries to treat respiratory diseases. However, the precise mechanisms underlying its efects on asthma are unknown. his study was conducted to evaluate the protective efects of MMDT in a cockroach allergen (CKA-)induced animal model of allergic asthma. Ater being challenged with CKA, the number of macrophages, eosinophils, neutrophils, lymphocytes, and total cells in the bronchoalveolar lavage luid (BALF) was evaluated. he h2 speciic cytokines IL-4, IL-5, and IL-13 were also analyzed in BALF along with IgE levels in serum. For histological analysis, hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining, periodic acid-Schif (PAS) staining, and immunohistochemical staining were performed. In addition, airway hyperresponsiveness was assessed by noninvasive plethysmography. he cellular proiles and histopathologic analysis demonstrated that peribronchial and perivascular inlammatory cell iniltrates were signiicantly decreased in the MMDT- treated groups compared with the cockroach extract-injected (CKA) groups. In addition, the IgE, IL-4, IL-5, and IL-13 levels were signiicantly decreased in the MMDT group. MMDT treatment also signiicantly attenuated airway hyperresponsiveness. hese results demonstrated that MMDT signiicantly reduced the hallmark signs of asthma: elevated serum IgE, airway eosinophilia, airway remodeling, mucus hypersecretion, and airway hyperresponsiveness. he remarkable antiasthmatic efects of MMDT suggest its therapeutic potential in allergic asthma treatment. 1. Introduction Approximately 300 million people currently sufer from asthma, and approximately 180,000 deaths are associated with asthma each year [1, 2]. Asthma is one of the most common chronic disorders of the airways and afects adults and chil- dren of all ages [1, 3, 4]. Recently, asthma has been increasing disproportionately in densely populated urban areas, where large numbers of cockroaches can be found. Speciically, cockroach allergen (CKA) exposure has demonstrated a signiicant correlation with a rise in childhood and adolescent asthma [5, 6]. Allergic asthma death is preventable. However, current standard medication therapies can produce potential negative side efects, such as retardation of growth, induction of insulin resistance, loss of bone mass, and suppression of the immune system, and do not consistently ameliorate airway inlammation in many asthmatic individuals [3, 7, 8]. herefore, there is a need for the development of safe and eicacious treatments [9, 10]. Maekmoondong-tang (MMDT) has been used to treat respiratory diseases such as emphysema, bronchitis, and asthma in Asia for thousands of years. here have been many in vitro [11] and in vivo [12] studies to identify the potential eicacy of MMDT in asthma. In experimental stud- ies, MMDT reduced malformed respiration and eosinophil iniltration and released the tension of bronchial smooth muscle [13, 14]. Additionally, MMDT had immunomodula- tory action and regulated many immune cytokines to reduce Hindawi Publishing Corporation Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine Volume 2014, Article ID 958965, 12 pages http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/958965