Effect of Modified Erchentang on PPARγ Expression in Lung Tissue of Rats with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective: To explore the effect of modified Erchentang on peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) protein and gene expressions in lung tissue of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) rat model, and the expressions of interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-10 (IL-10) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) in serum, lung homogenate and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. Method: Seventy SD rats were randomly divided into seven groupsnormal group, model group, high, medium and low-dose modified Erchentang groups (40, 20, 10 g · kg-1 · d-1), Xiaokechuan group (5 g · kg-1 · d-1), and Erchentang group (5 g · kg-1 · d-1). The rat COPD model was established through smoking and intratracheal instillation of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). After successful modeling, the treatment group was given drug by gavage, while the normal group and the model group were given the same amount of saline. The concentrations of IL-6, IL-10 and TNF-α in serum, lung homogenate and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid(BALF) of rats were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR (Real-time PCR) was used to detect the expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ), and immunohistochemistry (IHC) and Western blot were used to detect the expression of PPARγ in lung tissue. Result: Compared with the normal group, the levels of IL-6 and TNF-α in serum, lung homogenate and BALF of the model group rats increased significantly (PPγ mRNA in lung tissue of rats in model group were significantly decreased (Pγ protein was significantly inhibited(Pα in serum, lung homogenate and BALF of each treatment group decreased to varying degrees(Pα in the middle-dose Erchentang group were particularly significant. The PPARγ mRNA and protein expressions in lung tissue of rats in each treatment group were increased to varying degrees (PConclusion: Modified Erchentang may improve pulmonary inflammation and pulmonary function in COPD rats by increasing the expression of PPARγ and the content of IL-10 and decreasing the contents of IL-6 and TNF-α.