Protective effect of Xuebijing injection against acute lung injury induced by left ventricular ischemia/reperfusion in rabbits

Abstract

Xuebijing (XBJ) is a Chinese herbal preparation. Previous studies have demonstrated that XBJ injection is able to inhibit the uncontrolled release of endogenous inflammatory mediators, attenuate inflammation, and alleviate organ damage. However, there are no relevant reports on the protective effect of XBJ against left ventricular ischemia/reperfusion (I/R)-induced acute lung injury (ALI). Therefore, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the protective effect of XBJ on ALI induced by left ventricular I/R, and provide evidence for the clinical application of XBJ. In the present study, 120 healthy rabbits of mixed gender were randomly assigned to a normal control group, ischemia group, I/R group (I/RG) and XBJ-injection treatment group (TG). In addition, each group was further divided into three subgroups (n=10/subgroup), namely, 30 min pre-ischemia, 30 min post-ischemia and 30 min post-reperfusion subgroups. Blood samples (5 ml) were collected from the jugularis externa and carotis communis of the rabbits at the three time points, and a blood gas analyzer was used to measure the arterial partial pressure of oxygen (PaO2) and carbon dioxide (PaCO2). Following sacrifice, the lungs of the rabbits were removed and a bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) was immediately performed. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to measure the expression levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in the BAL fluid (BALF) and peripheral blood. In addition, the lower lobe of the right lung was removed in order to measure the protein expression levels of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and TNF-α. The results demonstrated that in the rabbits of the TG PaO2 was increased, PaCO2 was decreased, the lung tissue congestion edema was attenuated, the expression levels of TNF-α in the peripheral blood and BALF were reduced and the protein expression levels of ICAM-1 and TNF-α in the lung tissue samples were decreased, as compared with those in the I/RG rabbits. These results suggest that XBJ may protect against left ventricular I/R-induced ALI by regulating the expression of the inflammatory mediators TNF-α and ICAM-1.

Natural product derived phytochemicals in managing acute lung injury by multiple mechanisms

“…In addition, a meta-analysis revealed that the combined treatment of XBJI and western medicine showed better efficiency than western medicine treatment alone with significantly decreasing 28-day mortality and shorting ICU stay time [ 433 ]. Pharmacological research revealed that XBJI could prevent CLP-, dichlorvos-, paraquat- or I/R-induced ALI through decreasing inflammatory responses and oxidative stress; during the process, p38 MAPK and TLR4-mediated NF-κB signaling pathways were involved [ [434] , [435] , [436] , [437] ].…”

Traditional Chinese medicine in COVID-19

“…It was also reported that Xuebijing injection could downregulate the expression of IL-6, IL-1, TLR4, MAPK, and NF- κ B, maintain the balance of Tregs and Th17 cells in acute lung injury 190 , 191 , 192 , 193 . Besides, Xuebijing injection processed the potential to alleviate liver damage, acute lung injury-induced left ventricular ischemia/reperfusion, sepsis-induced acute kidney injury, and sepsis-induced myocardial injury via inhibiting inflammation, apoptosis, and endothelial injury 194 , 195 , 196 , 197 , 198 , 199 . Systems pharmacological analysis revealed that Qingfei Paidu decoction could protect multi-organ including nervous system, sensory system, digestive system, and circulatory system by regulating key enzymes, G protein-coupled receptors, ion channels, and transporters 96 .…”

Pharmacologic therapies of ARDS: From natural herb to nanomedicine

“…Furthermore, XBJ has a protective effect on ALI induced by left ventricular ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) in rabbits. This may be through regulation of the inflammatory mediator TNF-α and intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1) expression ( Ji et al, 2016 ). According to a meta-analysis that enrolled 16 randomized controlled trials, XBJ may improve the 28-day mortality rate and symptoms in critically ill patients without severe adverse effects ( Li et al, 2018 ).…”