Therapeutic Effects of Lifei Decoction in a Murine Model of COPD Induced by LPS and Cigarette Smoke

Abstract

Introduction

The Lifei Decoction (LD) is a commonly utilized Chinese medicine for the treatment of sepsis and bronchial inflammation. However, its therapeutic potential in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) remains unknown. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate the therapeutic efficacy and underlying mechanism of LD in a mouse model of COPD induced by cigarette smoke (CS) combined with lipopolysaccharide (LPS).

Methods

Hematoxylin-eosin (H&E) staining was employed to observe the pathological alterations in lung tissue, while ELISA was utilized for the detection of levels of inflammatory factors in both lung tissue and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). Additionally, Western blot analysis was conducted to assess the expression of p-NF-κB, GDF11, ZO-1, and Occludin-1 proteins. The changes in intestinal flora were evaluated using the viable bacteria count method.

Results

The administration of LD demonstrates significant efficacy in mitigating pulmonary tissue damage in a murine model, while concurrently inhibiting the activation of the inflammatory pathway NF-κB to attenuate the levels of pro-inflammatory factors. Moreover, LD exhibits the capacity to enhance the expression of intestinal functional proteins ZO-1 and Occludin-1, thereby rectifying dysbiosis within the gut microbiota.

Conclusion

The LD shows great promise as a potential treatment for COPD.

Keywords:

• COPD
• lifei decoction
• inflammation
• intestinal flora

Abbreviations

LD, Lifei Decoction; COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; BALF, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid; CS, cigarette smoking; DEX, Dexamethasone; GDF11, Growth differentiation factor 11; p- NF-κB, phosphorylated nuclear factor kappa B; IL-1β: Interleukin-1 beta; IL-6, Interleukin-6; TNF-α, Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; INF-γ, Interferon-gamma; ZO-1, Zonula occludens-1; LPS, lipopolysaccharide; H&E, Hematoxylin-eosin; ELISA, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; ANOVA, One-way analysis of variance.

Disclosure

The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Immunity and Metabolism (NO.XZSYSKF2021047) and Jiangsu Province large instruments open to share independent research projects(NO.KY14092202).