Mechanisms for protection of berberine against LPS-induced acute lung injury in mice / 中国病理生理杂志

ABSTRACT

AIM: To investigate the mechanisms by which berberine attenuates LPS-induced acute lung injury, and provide a new strategy for the treatment of the lung injury due to LPS. METHODS: BALB/c mice were randomly assigned into three groups (control, LPS group, and berberine treatment group). Mice were administered intragastrically with distilled water (0.1 mL/10 g) or neutral sulfate berberine (50 mg/kg) once a day for 3 days, 1 h after intragastrical treatment on day 3, LPS (20 mg/kg) or normal saline was injected intraperitoneally (ip). All animals were sacrificed 12 h after LPS injection, the left lung tissue sections were prepared for histology analysis and the right lung were used to determine the ratio of wet to dry lung tissue weight (W/D). In another experiment, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) was collected, and then the total protein content, and the amounts of white blood cells (WBC) and polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN) in BALF were determined. Furthermore, the phosphorylation of cytosolic phospholipase A2 (cPLA2) was detected with immunohistochemical analysis by using phospho-cPLA2(Ser505) antibody, and the contents of thromboxane B2 (TXB2) in BALF, malondialdehyde (MDA) in the lungs, and activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) in lung tissues were also determined.RESULTS: LPS induced acute lung injury, activated cPLA2, and increased TXB2 content in the BALF and MDA level in the lung tissue. The pretreatment with berberine significantly attenuated lung injury, lung edema and protein leakage induced by intraperitoneal injection of LPS. The expression of phospho-cPLA2 in the lung tissues and TXB2 content in the BALF in the berberine treatment group were lower than those in LPS group (P0.05). CONCLUSION: Pretreatment with berberine remarkably reduces the LPS-induced lung injury, which is, at least in part, through inhibiting phosphorylation of cPLA2 and decreasing lipid peroxidation. These findings provide a new strategy for the prevention and treatment of LPS-induced acute lung injury.