Ivy leaves dry extract EA575 shows mucoactive, antitussive, and anti-inflammatory activity in vivo

Ivy leaves dry extract EA575 exhibits mucoactive, antitussive, and anti-inflammatory effects. However, since mucoactivity data on EA575 is limited, we addressed this pharmacological property <italic>in vivo</italic>. Moreover, airway inflammation plays a key role in triggering cough and therefore we aimed to establish a direct link between EA575’s anti-inflammatory and antitussive effects. Bleomycin-challenged guinea pigs were administered 21.5, 107.6, or 215.25 mg/kg bw/d EA575 orally for 7 days. Subsequently, animals were exposed to citric acid and cough frequency as well as bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) was evaluated. Cough events were dose-dependently reduced up to 56.0 ± 14.0%. This reduction correlated with a significant decrease of neutrophiles in BALF of 70.9 ± 8.7%. Moreover, mucoactivity was assessed in mice, applying the same oral dosage regimen of EA575 for 7 days by determining phenol red concentration in BALF. Phenol red secretion increased dose-dependently by up to 38.9 ± 22.0%, indicating mucoactivity of EA575. In conclusion, EA575 shows an antitussive effect linked to its anti-inflammatory properties. Additionally, its mucoactivity has been confirmed <italic>in vivo</italic>. <fig><object-id>erj;66/suppl_69/PA3598/F1</object-id><object-id>F1</object-id><object-id>F1</object-id><graphic></graphic></fig> Figure 1: EA575 reduces coughing fits in bleomycin-challenged guinea pigs. Data is shown as mean ± SD, for statistics ANOVA followed by Dunnett’s test was applied (** p≤0.01, *** p ≤0.001).