Alleviating effects of Lavandula aqueous extract on asthmatic complications in a mouse model

Asthma is an inflammatory disease of the respiratory system affecting over 300 million people worldwide. Lavandula has been traditionally used to treat inflammatory diseases and has also several medical applications. We aimed to explore the anti-inflammatory effects of Lavandula extract on a murine model of asthma. Twenty-eight Balb/c mice were divided into four groups of seven animals. The negative control group was treated with Phosphate-buffered saline, and the remaining three groups received ovalbumin to induce asthma. Subsequently, two asthmatic groups received budesonide or Lavandula extract. Afterward, the changes in the number of eosinophils, gene expressions, and the levels of interleukins 5, 13, and 33 were quantified in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of animals. Histopathological alterations of goblet cells, mucus secretion, and peribronchial and perivascular inflammations were examined in lung tissues of all animals. Eosinophils count and the levels of interleukins 5, 13, and 33 in BALF specimens were significantly reduced. Hyperplasia of goblet cells, mucus hypersecretion, and peribronchial and perivascular inflammations were inhibited in mice treated with Lavandula compared to asthmatic group. Interestingly, Lavandula was more effective than budesonide in alleviating inflammatory responses of asthma. The present study is the first report of anti-inflammatory and antiasthmatic activities of Lavandula extract in the Balb/c mouse model of ovalbumin-induced asthma. Lavandula antiasthmatic effects were mediated by modulating eosinophil counts, type 2 inflammatory responses, mucus secretion, and histological alterations of the lung due to inflammation, proposing it as a therapeutic modality to attenuate inflammatory complications of asthma.