Maternal antiasthma simplified herbal medicine intervention therapy prevents airway inflammation and modulates pulmonary innate immune responses in young offspring mice

[Background]: Maternal asthma is a risk factor for asthma in offspring; however, transmission of the risk for allergic asthma without direct offspring sensitization has not been explored. [Objective]: To determine whether offspring from mothers with ovalbumin (OVA)-sensitized asthma would develop airway disease at first-ever exposure to OVA and whether preconception maternal treatment with the Antiasthma Simplified Herbal Medicine Intervention (ASHMI) or dexamethasone (DEX) could modify this risk in offspring [Methods]: Female BALB/c mice (F0) with OVA-induced asthma were generated using established protocols. Mice with asthma were treated with ASHMI, DEX, or water for 6 to 7 weeks. Naive mice served as controls. Subsequently, mice were mated. Twelve-day-old F1 offspring received 3 consecutive intranasal low- or high-dose OVA exposures without sensitization. Forty-eight hours later, airway inflammation, mucus hypersecretion, serum antibodies, and cytokines were evaluated. [Results]: Offspring from OVA-sensitized mothers, but not naive mothers, showed eosinophilic and neutrophilic airway inflammation, and mucus hyperplasia after OVA exposure and he presence of OVA-specific IgG1 and IgG2a. Offspring of ASHMI- and DEX-treated mothers showed decreased airway inflammation and mucus hypersecretion after low-dose OVA (P <.05-.001 for the 2 comparisons vs offspring of OVA/Sham mothers). Offspring of ASHMI-treated, but not DEX-treated, mothers were protected after the high-dose OVA challenge (P <.05-.01 vs offspring OVA/Sham). Maternal ASHMI therapy was associated with increased IgG2a (P <.01 vs offspring of OVA/Sham mothers) and decreased bronchoalveolar lavage fluid CXCL-1 and eotaxin-1 levels (P <.01 and P <.05, respectively, vs offspring of OVA/Sham mothers). [Conclusion]: Offspring of mothers with OVA-induced asthma developed airway inflammation and mucus to first-ever OVA exposure without prior sensitization. Maternal therapy with ASHMI was superior to DEX in decreasing offspring susceptibility to airway disease and could be a strategy to lower asthma prevalence.Dr López-Expósito acknowledges financial support from the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas through a JAE-Doc grant. Dr Srivastava was supported by a KL2 Faculty Scholar Award (KL2TR000069) from the Mount Sinai Clinical and Translational Science Award. Dr Li received grants from the National Institutes of Health, the FAI, the Chris Burch Fund, the Sean Parker Foundation, and Winston Wolkoff Integrative Medicine for Allergies and Wellness. Dr. Li holds US Patent PCT/US05/08600 for ASHMI™ and is shareholder of Herb Springs LLC. Funding: This study was supported from the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, National Institutes of Health (grant 1P01 AT002644725-01); the Center for Chinese Herbal Therapy for Asthma; the Sean Parker Foundation (Antiasthma Simplified Herbal Medicine Intervention active compounds for asthma therapy); and Winston Wolkoff Integrative Medicine for Allergies and Wellness.Peer Reviewe