Department of Pharmacy, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang 330006, China.
Department of Pharmacy, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang 330006, China; School of Pharmacy, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330006, China.
J Ethnopharmacol. 2023 Dec 5;317:116763. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2023.116763. Epub 2023 Jun 12.
As prevalent acute respiratory condition in clinical practice, acute lung injury has a quick start and severe symptoms which can harm patients physically. Chaihu Qingwen granules (CHQW) is a classic formula for the treatment of respiratory diseases. Clinical observation shows that CHQW has good efficacy in treating colds, coughs, and fevers.
The aim of this study was to investigate the anti-inflammatory effect of CHQW on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute lung injury (ALI) model in rats and to explore its potential mechanism, as well as to clarify its substance composition.
Male SD rats were randomly divided into the blank group, the model group, the ibuprofen group, the Lianhua Qingwen capsule group and the CHQW group (2, 4 and 8 g/kg, respectively). The LPS-induced acute lung injury (ALI) model in rats was established after pre-administration. The histopathological changes in the lung and the levels of inflammatory factors in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and serum of ALI rats were observed. The inflammation-related proteins toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), inhibitory kappa B alpha (IκBα), phospho-IκBα (p-IκBα), nuclear-factor-kappa B (NF-κB), and NLR family pyrin domain containing 3(NLRP3) expression levels were measured by western blotting analysis and immunohistochemical analysis. The chemical composition of CHQW was identified by liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time of flight-mass spectrometry (LC-Q-TOF-MS).
CHQW significantly ameliorated lung tissue pathological injury in LPS-induced ALI rats and decreased the release of inflammatory cytokines (interleukin-1β, interleukin-17 and tumor necrosis factor-α) in BALF and serum. In addition, CHQW decreased the expression of TLR4, p-IκBα and NF-κB proteins, increased the level of IκBα, regulated the TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway, and inhibited the activation of NLRP3. The chemical components of CHQW were analyzed by LC-Q-TOF-MS, and a total of 48 components were identified by combining information from the literature, mainly flavonoids, organic acids, lignans, iridoids and phenylethanoid glycosides.
The results of this study showed that the pretreatment of CHQW had a strong protective effect on LPS-induced ALI in rats, reducing lung tissue lesions and decreasing inflammatory cytokines released in BALF and serum. The protective mechanism of CHQW may be related to the inhibition of the TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway and NLRP3 activation. The main active ingredients of CHQW are flavonoids, organic acids, lignans, iridoids and phenylethanoid glycosides.
急性肺损伤是临床常见的急性呼吸系统疾病，起病急骤，症状严重，对患者身体危害较大。柴黄清热颗粒（CHQW）是治疗呼吸系统疾病的经典方剂。临床观察表明，CHQW 对感冒、咳嗽、发热等具有良好的疗效。
本研究旨在探讨 CHQW 对脂多糖（LPS）诱导的急性肺损伤（ALI）大鼠模型的抗炎作用，并探讨其潜在机制，阐明其物质组成。
雄性 SD 大鼠随机分为空白组、模型组、布洛芬组、连花清瘟胶囊组和 CHQW 组（2、4 和 8 g/kg）。给予 LPS 诱导建立急性肺损伤（ALI）大鼠模型，观察各组大鼠肺组织病理变化及支气管肺泡灌洗液（BALF）和血清中炎症因子水平。采用 Western blot 分析和免疫组化分析检测 TLR4、IκBα、p-IκBα、NF-κB、NLRP3 等炎症相关蛋白的表达水平。采用液质联用（LC-Q-TOF-MS）技术鉴定 CHQW 的化学成分。
CHQW 能明显改善 LPS 诱导的 ALI 大鼠肺组织病理损伤，降低 BALF 和血清中炎症细胞因子（白细胞介素-1β、白细胞介素-17 和肿瘤坏死因子-α）的释放。此外，CHQW 降低了 TLR4、p-IκBα 和 NF-κB 蛋白的表达，增加了 IκBα 的水平，调节了 TLR4/NF-κB 信号通路，抑制了 NLRP3 的激活。采用 LC-Q-TOF-MS 对 CHQW 的化学成分进行分析，结合文献信息共鉴定出 48 个成分，主要为黄酮类、有机酸类、木质素类、环烯醚萜类和苯乙醇苷类。
本研究结果表明，CHQW 预处理对 LPS 诱导的 ALI 大鼠具有较强的保护作用，减轻肺组织损伤，减少 BALF 和血清中炎症细胞因子的释放。CHQW 的保护机制可能与抑制 TLR4/NF-κB 信号通路和 NLRP3 激活有关。CHQW 的主要活性成分是黄酮类、有机酸类、木质素类、环烯醚萜类和苯乙醇苷类。
