Abstract

Ethnopharmacological relevance: Schisandra chinensis Baillon (Sc), an anti-inflammatory herb that has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for thousands of years, is frequently used to treat upper respiratory tract infections. Aim of the study: This study was conducted to evaluate the ability of a water extract of Sc to prevent airway inflammation both in vitro and in vivo. Materials and methods: Human lung alveolar epithelial-derived A549 cells were stimulated with to interleukin-1β, tumor necrosis factor-α, and interferon-γ (IL-1β, TNF-α, and INF-γ; cytokine mixture; CM) and treated with Sc extracts. They were then evaluated using nitric oxide (NO), IL-8 and monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) secretions. In the in vivo study, BALB/c mice were challenged with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to induce acute airway inflammation. After this challenge, the mice were treated with Sc extracts (10, 50 and 100 mg/kg) by oral administration, and inflammatory cells in the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid were counted. IL-6 and TNF-α secretions were measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Lung tissues of the LPS treated mice were prepared and stained with hematoxylin and eosin (HE) for histological examination. Results: In the A549 cells, Sc extracts dose-dependently and significantly inhibited CM-induced NO production and reduced IL-8 and MCP-1 secretions. Sc extracts efficiently suppressed neutrophil and macrophage infiltrations of lung tissues and increased IL-6 and TNF-α levels in BAL fluid in LPS-instilled BALB/c mice. In addition, Sc extracts treatment inhibited pathologic progress in the lung tissues, as confirmed by H&E staining. These findings indicate that Sc extracts could be potentially useful for the treatment of acute lung inflammation and acute lung injury. © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Author keywords

Acute lung inflammation; Anti-inflammatory; Pulmonary inflammations; Schisandra chinensis Baillon (Schizandraceae)

Indexed keywords

EMTREE drug terms: cytokine; gamma interferon; hematoxylin; interleukin 1beta; interleukin 6; interleukin 8; lignan; lipopolysaccharide; monocyte chemotactic protein 1; nitric oxide; Schisandra chinensis extract; tumor necrosis factor alpha

EMTREE medical terms: acute lung injury; animal tissue; article; cell infiltration; cell viability; content analysis; cytokine release; cytotoxicity; dose response; drug effect; enzyme linked immunosorbent assay; high performance liquid chromatography; histopathology; human; human cell; lung lavage; lung parenchyma; lymphocyte; macrophage; male; mouse; neutrophil; nonhuman; pneumonia; protein expression; Schisandra chinensis

MeSH: Animals; Anti-Inflammatory Agents; Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid; Cell Count; Cell Line, Tumor; Cell Survival; Cytokines; Drugs, Chinese Herbal; Humans; Lignans; Lipopolysaccharides; Male; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Nitric Oxide; Phytotherapy; Pneumonia; Schisandra
Medline is the source for the MeSH terms of this document.

Species Index: Mus; Schisandra chinensis

Chemicals and CAS Registry Numbers: gamma interferon, 82115-62-6; hematoxylin, 517-28-2; interleukin 8, 114308-91-7; nitric oxide, 10102-43-9;Anti-Inflammatory Agents; Cytokines; Drugs, Chinese Herbal; Lignans; Lipopolysaccharides; Nitric Oxide, 10102-43-9