Regulatory mechanism of xiebai san on LPS-induced acute lung injury in juvenile rats

ZHANG Qingling; LIU Shiqi; FU Yin; LI Ji

doi:10.11958/20252076

Abstract：Objective To elucidate the regulatory mechanism of xiebai san(XBS)and its combination with azithromycin(AZM)on LPS-induced acute lung injury(ALI)in juvenile rats.Methods Thirty rats were divided into the control group,the model group,the AZM group,the XBS group and the XBS combined with AZM(combined)group according to body weight by stratified random method,with 6 rats in each group.In addition to the control group,the other groups were treated with aerosol inhalation of LPS to establish the ALI model of young rats.Levels of superoxide dismutase(SOD),malondialdehyde(MDA)and catalase(CAT)in lung tissue were detected using biochemical kits.Serum interleukin(IL-6,IL-10 and IL-13)and nuclear factor-κB(NF-κB)were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.Transcriptomic analysis was performed to identify differentially expressed genes(DEGs)in lung tissue,followed by enrichment analysis.Immunohistochemistry was used to assess cyclooxygenase-2(COX-2)and tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α)expression in lung tissue.Results Compared with the control group,the activities of SOD and CAT in lung tissue of rats decreased in the model group,and the content of MDA increased(P<0.05).Serum levels of IL-6,IL-10,IL-13 and NF-κB all increased(P<0.05).Compared with the model group,SOD and CAT activities in lung tissue significantly increased in the AZM group and the combined group(P＜0.05),while SOD activity increased and MDA content decreased in the XBS group.Serum inflammatory factors IL-6,IL-10 and IL-13 levels were significantly reduced in the AZM group,the XBS group and the combined group,with NF-κB levels also decreasing in the XBS group(P＜0.05).Transcriptomic analysis revealed that XBS and its combination with AZM alleviated ALI by modulating the IL-17 signaling pathway.Immunohistochemistry indicated significantly reduced COX-2 and TNF-α expression in the AZM group,the XBS group and the combined group compared to those of the model group.Conclusion XBS and its combination with azithromycin may ameliorate ALI in juvenile rats by regulating the IL-17 signaling pathway,oxidative stress,inflammatory responses and lung gene expression.