Effects of Fusion Formulation Pelargonium sidoides and Arctii Fructus Extract on Acute Bronchitis

Pelargonium sidoides (Geraniaceae) has been used as a medicine for the treatment of respiratory diseases. And Arctii Fructus which dried fruits of Arcium lappa Linne (Compositae) has been widely used in Korea and China for the treatment of the various diseases including inflammation, fever, allergy and asthma. However, pharmacological study of these mixture have not been carried out until now. In this study, we investigated the improvement effects on acute bronchitis of HP02-A, which is formulated with P. sidoides 11% EtOH dried extract and Acrtii Fructus 50% EtOH dried extract in a 2 : 1 ratio. HP02-A significantly reduced the number of coughs and increased the dose-dependent promotion of sputum expectoration. In addition, HP02-A showed attenuation of inflammation in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and lung tissue. Furthermore, HP02-A also inhibited nitric oxide (NO) production in NCI-H292 cells. These results suggest that HP02-A has potential as a therapeutic agent for the treatment of acute bronchitis.