OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the effect of Yinlai Decoction (YD) on the microstructure of
colon , and activity of
D-lactic acid (DLA) and
diamine oxidase (DAO) in
serum of
pneumonia mice model fed with high-calorie and
high-protein diet (HCD).@*
METHODS @#Sixty
male Kunming
mice were randomly divided into 6 groups by the random number table
method: normal control,
pneumonia , HCD, HCD with
pneumonia (HCD-P), YD (229.2 mg/mL), and
dexamethasone (15.63 mg/mL) groups, with 10 in each group. HCD
mice were fed with 52%
milk solution by gavage.
Pneumonia mice was modeled with
lipopolysaccharide inhalation and was fed by gavage with either the corresponding
therapeutic drugs or
saline water , twice daily, for 3 days. After
hematoxylin -
eosin staining , the changes in the
colon structure were observed under
light microscopy and
transmission electron microscope, respectively.
Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to detect the
protein levels of DLA and DAO in the
serum of
mice .@*RESULTS@#The colonic mucosal structure and
ultrastructure of
mice in the normal
control group were clear and intact. The colonic mucosal
goblet cells in the
pneumonia group tended to increase, and the size of the
microvilli varied. In the HCD-P group, the mucosal
goblet cells showed a marked increase in size with increased secretory activity. Loose mucosal epithelial connections were also observed, as shown by widened intercellular gaps with short sparse
microvilli . These pathological changes of
intestinal mucosa were significantly reduced in
mouse models with YD
treatment , while there was no significant improvement after
dexamethasone treatment . The
serum DLA level was significantly higher in the
pneumonia , HCD, and HCD-P groups as compared with the normal
control group (P<0.05).
Serum DLA was significantly lower in the YD group than HCD-P group (P<0.05). Moreover,
serum DLA level significantly increased in the
dexamethasone group as compared with the YD group (P<0.01). There was no statistical significance in the
serum level of DAO among groups (P>0.05).@*CONCLUSIONS@#YD can protect function of
intestinal mucosa by improving the
tissue morphology of
intestinal mucosa and maintaining integrity of
cell connections and
microvilli structure, thereby reducing
permeability of
intestinal mucosa to regulate the
serum levels of DLA in
mice .