Anti-asthmatic activity of Saudi herbal composites from plants Bacopa monnieri and Euphorbia hirta on Guinea pigs

Asthma, the respiratory disorder associated with bronchial hyper-responsiveness, affected 300 million people across the globe, with a prevalence of 4.05% in Saudi Arabia and causing 61.6% of hospital emergency room annual visits. Increased side effects of conventional drugs demand the necessity for the development of natural drugs. In this study, an herbal composite from Bacopa monnieri and Euphorbia hirta was prepared and characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis. In vitro bacterial inhibition and anti-asthmatic activity were evaluated using animal models. Ethanolic herbal composite (EHC) showed significant anti-pathogenic activities. GC-MS analysis identified potential bioactive compounds and FT-IR analysis revealed functional groups corresponding to plant composites. The EHC increased the preconvulsive time against 1% histamine aerosol compared to control animals. In sensitized + EHC-treated animals, total leukocyte, eosinophil, lymphocyte, neutrophil, and monocyte counts were found to be reduced as compared to sensitized and control groups. EHC decreased malondialdehyde and bicarbonate levels denoting the reduced oxidative burden and increased the antioxidant activity by increased intracellular glutathione (GSH) level. The EHC-treated group showed decreased inflammatory cell infiltration compared to the sensitized. A significant anti-asthmatic effect was observed in the EHC-treated group (P < 0.05). Thus, herbal composites are used in the treatment of asthma and can be used as an alternative to commercially available pharmaceutical drugs.