Journal of Ethnopharmacology 103 (2006) 406–412 In vitro anti-allergic activities of a newly concocted traditional Chinese medicine—The wheeze-relief formula S.K.W. Lee a , C.K. Wong a , R.Y.T. Sung b , T.F. Leung b , K.P. Fung c , P.C. Leung c , C.W.K. Lam a,∗ a Department of Chemical Pathology, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prince of Wales Hospital, Shatin, Hong Kong b Department of Paediatrics, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prince of Wales Hospital, Shatin, Hong Kong c Institute of Chinese Medicine, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prince of Wales Hospital, Shatin, Hong Kong Received 7 April 2005; received in revised form 9 August 2005; accepted 16 August 2005 Available online 19 September 2005 Abstract Asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases worldwide. Western medications such as glucocorticoids are effective therapeutic agents but may be associated with side effects. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been used for treating allergic diseases with observable clinical benefits. The present study investigated whether a novel TCM concoction, the wheeze-relief formula (WRF), possesses in vitro anti-allergic activities. We measured the effects of WRF on the release of eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) by human eosinophils using fluorescence enzyme immunoassay, expression of chemokine receptor CCR3 and adhesion molecule CD49d on eosinophils using immunophenotyping, cytokine induction from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) using cytometric bead array (CBA), and the gene expression of cytokines and cytokine receptors using cDNA expression array. Results demonstrated that WRF dose-dependently and significantly: (1) suppressed ECP release from eosinophils activated with granulocyte macrophage-colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and platelet activating factor (PAF); (2) inhibited the expression of CCR3 and CD49d on PAF-activated eosinophils; and (3) attenuated the production of tumor necrosis factor  and gene expression of IL-2 receptor chain  (CD25) on house dust mite (Der p 1) activated PBMC. The above results suggest a possible anti-allergic role of WRF and provide a biochemical basis for further clinical trial on human subjects. © 2005 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: Allergic asthma; Traditional Chinese medicine; Eosinophils; Lymphocytes; Cytokines 1. Introduction Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease presented as recur- rent and reversible airway obstruction, affecting millions of people worldwide. The pathogenesis of this disease is believed to be atopic in more than 50% adults and at least 80% of affected children (WHO, 2002). Bronchodilators and steroid inhalers are often effective in controlling mild to moderate asthma with min- imal adverse reactions. However, the use of systemic steroid in severe and persistent cases shows only fair responses and is nor- mally associated with serious side effects. Development of a ∗ Corresponding author. Tel.: +852 2632 2332; fax: +852 2636 5090. E-mail address: waikeilam@cuhk.edu.hk (C.W.K. Lam). better and safer regime for the management of asthma is there- fore urgently needed, at least to target at the development of steroid sparing medication. On the basis that many useful drugs, including digoxin and aspirin, are originated from plants, herbal medicine should be a promising direction for the current drug search. In tradi- tional Chinese medicine (TCM), herbs are widely used for treating diseases. In vivo studies have shown that TCM is able to reduce allergen-induced bronchial inflammation in mite- sensitized mice (Kao et al., 2000). Clinical trials have also demonstrated that TCM shows immunomodulatory activities to patients with allergic diseases such as atopic eczema (Sheehan and Atherton, 1992; Sheehan et al., 1992; Hon et al., 2004). The potential immunomodulatory efficacy of TCM in allergic asthma is therefore highly suggested. 0378-8741/$ – see front matter © 2005 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2005.08.031