Background: The diverse medicinal properties of herbal compounds make them suitable candidates to treat multifactorial conditions such as pulmonary fibrosis. We investigated the effects and mechanisms of compound Chuanxiong Kangxian granules (CCKG) on a bleomycin (BLM)-induced pulmonary fibrosis model in rats.
Methods and results: Following an intratracheal instillation of BLM, Sprague Dawley rats were intragastrically administrated with different doses of CCKG solution or hydrocortisone for 28 d, while control and BLM-treated rats were administered with saline solution. The effects of CCKG treatment on pulmonary injury were evaluated with lung wet/dry weight ratios, histopathology and levels of hydroxyproline. Oxidative stress was evaluated by detecting serum levels of glutathione and total superoxide dismutase. Inflammation was assessed by measuring levels of tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin (IL)-1β, and IL-6 in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. Immunohistochemistry and western blotting was used to analyze protein expressions of matrix metalloproteinase-2, 9, α-smooth muscle actin and transforming growth factor-β1 in lung tissue. The results indicate that CCKG treatment can ameliorate BLM-induced pulmonary fibrosis and attenuate BLM-induced oxidative stress and inflammation.
Conclusions: We found that CCKG-mediated suppression of fibroproliferation and may contribute to the anti-fibrotic effect by inhibiting oxidative stress and inflammatory responses. Our study indicates a therapeutic potential for CCKG in the treatment of pulmonary fibrosis.
Keywords: Bleomycin; Compound Chuanxiong Kangxian granules; Inflammation; Oxidative stress; Pulmonary fibrosis.
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