Paeoniflorin inhibits PDGF-BB-induced human airway smooth muscle cell growth and migration

Abnormal proliferation and migration of airway smooth muscle cells (ASMCs) is important in the progression of asthma. Paeoniflorin (PF), one of the major active ingredients of Paeonia lactiflora, has been reported to exhibit anti-asthmatic effects. However, the effects of PF in the regulation of platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-BB-induced ASMC proliferation and migration remain unknown. The present study was designed to investigate the effects of PF on human ASMCs and the underlying mechanism. The results demonstrated that PF treatment significantly reduced the numbers of live ASMC cells and their PDGF-BB-induced migration. PF treatment also suppressed PDGF-BB-induced -smooth muscle actin expression in ASMCs. Furthermore, pretreatment with PF reduced PDGF-BB-induced phosphorylation of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) and AKT serine/threonine kinase 1 (Akt) in ASMCs. In conclusion, the present study demonstrated for the first time that PF inhibited ASMC growth and migration induced by PDGF-BB, and that this effect may be partly due to inhibition of the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. The results provide novel information regarding the role of PF as a potential therapeutic agent for the treatment of asthma.