Lycium barbarum polysaccharide protects against LPS-induced ARDS via an Akt/eNOS signaling pathway / 中国药理学通报

ABSTRACT

Aim To investigate the effects of Lycium barbarum polysaccharide ( LBP ) on LPS-induced ARDS in mice and the potential mechanisms. Methods Thirty-two C57BL/6 male mice were randomly divided into control group, LPS group, LBP group and LY294002 ( Akt inhibitor) group, with eight mice in each group. The pathological changes in lung tissues were evaluated by HE staining, pulmonary edema was measured by wet/dry ratio( W/D) , and the concentra-tions of total protein and the levels of inflammatory cy-tokines in BALF were determined. MDA and SOD lev-els in lung tissues and the apoptosis of lung tissues were detected. The protein expression levels of cleaved caspase-3, p-Akt and p-eNOS were determined by Western blot. Results Compared with control group, severe pathological lung injury changes were observed in LPS group, and the W/D ratio, levels of total pro-tein and inflammatory cytokines in BALF, levels of MDA in lung tissues and the expression of cleaved caspase-3 significantly increased(P<0.05), while the lung SOD activity, the p-Akt and p-eNOS expression decreased( P<0.05) . LBP could significantly attenu-ate the indexes above(P<0.05). However, the pro-tective effects of LBP on ARDS were inhibited by Akt inhibitor LY294002. Conclusions LBP protects a-gainst LPS-induced ARDS in mice by alleviating EC barrier dysfunction via the suppression of inflamma-tion, oxidative stress and apoptosis, at least partially via activation of the Akt/eNOS singaling pathway.