[Protective effects of xuebijing on the acute lung injury in rats].

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the protective effects of xuebijing (Traditional Chinese Medicine)on the acute lung injury in rats.

METHODS

Sixty Wistar rats were randomly divided into normal control group,model group,dexamethasone (10 mg/kg) group, xuebijing low-dose,medium-dose and high-dose groups(5, 10, 15 ml/kg),10 rats in each group. The acute lung injury model was induced by intraperitoneal injection of lipopolysaccharide 5 mg/kg. They were given relevant medicines intraperitoneally after modeling, once a day, for consecutive 7 days. Normal control group and acute lung injury(ALI) model group were given the equal bulk of saline by tail vein. 7 days after treatment, the arterial blood samples were collected for detecting the arterial oxygen tension (PaO) and the serum levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and superoxide dismutase (SOD). Pulmonary tissue samples were obtained for the measurement of lung index(LI), wet/dry weight ratio(W/D), moisture content of lung[(W-D)/W] and the expressions of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-10 (IL-10) and high mobility group protein B1(HMGB1).

RESULTS

Compared with normal control group,the levels of LI,W/D,(W-D)/W and PaO and the expressions of TNF-α, HMGB1 protein and the serum level of MDA in model group were increased,while the protein expression of IL-10 and the serum level of SOD were decreased;there was statistical significance( < 0.01). Compared with model group,the levels of LI,W/D,moisture content of lung and the protein expressions of TNF-α and HMGB1 and the serum level of MDA in xuebijing groups were decreased significantly,while PaO and the protein expression of IL-10 and the serum level of SOD were increased, there was statistical significance ( < 0.01). The effects in xuebi-jing high-dose group were better than those in xuebijing middle-dose and low-dose groups ( < 0.01, < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Xuebijing could alleviate lipopolysaccharide-induced ALI,and its pharmacological mechanism may be related to down-regulation the protein expressions of TNF-α and HMGB1 and the serum level of MDA and up-regulation the protein expression of IL-10 and the serum level of SOD and the high-dose is more effective.