Abstract
Pulmonary fibrosis (PF) is a serious progressive lung disease and it originates from inflammation-induced parenchymal injury with excessive extracellular matrix deposition to result in the destruction of the normal lung architecture. Modified Kushen Gancao Formula (mKG), derived from traditional Chinese herbal medicine, has a prominent anti-inflammatory effect. The present study is to explore the inhibitory effects of mKG on bleomycin (BLM)-induced pulmonary fibrosis in mice. mKG significantly decreased pulmonary alveolitis, fibrosis scores, and interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-17 (IL-17), transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) and hydroxyproline (HYP) levels in lung tissue of mice compared with BLM treatment. It markedly alleviated the increase of HYP content in the lung tissues and pathologic changes of pulmonary fibrosis caused by BLM instillation. In conclusion, mKG has an anti-fibrotic effect and might be employed as a therapeutic candidate agent for attenuating pulmonary fibrosis.
Highlights
Pulmonary fibrosis (PF) is a serious chronic lung disease with unknown pathogenesis
We have optimized a three-herb Traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) formula, Modified Kushen Gancao Formula (mKG), derived from a famous traditional Chinese medicinal formula, Kushen Gancao Tang, which consists of the roots of Angelica sinensis (Oliv.) Diels. (Dang-gui), the roots of Sophora flavescens Ait. (Kushen) and the rhizome of Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch (Gancao)
Apparent alleviation of pulmonary alveolitis was observed in lung tissue of the pirfenidone group and high-dose mKG group, and the alveolar septum was thinner
Summary
Pulmonary fibrosis (PF) is a serious chronic lung disease with unknown pathogenesis. It is a progressive and lethal lung disease, characterized by the accumulation of extracellular matrix in the alveolar septum to result in the destruction of the normal lung architecture [1,2]. Kushen Gancao Tang has been recorded in Zhong Miao Xian Fang, a classic medical book published in the Ming dynasty of China It is comprised of two medicinal herbs, Kushen and Gancao, which have been used to treat choleplania, infection, esoenteritis and dysentery for a long time. Kushen has been widely used for treating various inflammatory and infectious diseases in the clinic, such as eczema and upper respiratory tract infections It has been used for treating asthma by suppressing airway responses, decreasing inflammation and down-regulating Th2 levels in asthmatic-model mice [5]. The combination of Dang-Gui and Kushen is extensively used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat inflammatory diseases, such as acne, heart disease, and hepatitis [17]. In this study we evaluate the antifibrotic properties of mKG
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