IntroductionThis study aimed to explore the mechanism of Ginkgo biloba extract(GBE, 银杏叶提取物) improving lung injury in septic rats by interfering with ferritin autophagy. MethodsA rat model of sepsis was established by cecal puncture method, and the animals were randomly divided into 6 groups, including control group, sham operation group, model group and GBE low, medium and high concentration treatment groups. Groups GBE low, medium and high concentration were given intraperitoneal injection of low dose (10mg/kg), medium dose (20mg/kg) and high dose (40mg/kg) GBE, respectively. Detect relevant indicators. ResultsIt was found that the lung tissue of rats in the model group had obvious pathological damage, and the expression of ferritin (FTH1) was significantly reduced, the expression of ferritin autophagy-related factors such as RIOK3, NCOA4, and LC3B was significantly increased, and the contents of Fe2+, malondialdehyde (MDA), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and the lung/body weight ratios were significantly increased. GBE significantly improved the pathological damage of lung tissue in rats, increased the expression of FTH1, knocked down the expression of RIOK3, NCOA4 and LC3B, reduced the contents of Fe2+, MDA, IL-6, and TNF-α, and the lung/body weight ratios, especially in the medium-dose GBE group. ConclusionsGBE can down-regulate the expression of NCOA4 by inhibiting the expression of RIOK3, thereby inhibiting ferritin autophagy and ferroptosis, and ameliorating acute lung injury in sepsis rats. The best effect is found in medium concentration GBE (20mg/kg).