OBJECTIVETo explore the pharmacological anti-inflammatory mechanism of Chinese formula Qingwen Baidu Decoction (清瘟败毒饮, QBD) from the view of holistic biology.

METHODSThe rats were randomly divided into a normal conrol group, a lipopolysaccharide (LPS) group, the low- and high-dose QBD groups, and a dexamethasone (DXM) group. NR8383 cells were treated with culture fluid containing 6% serum from rats of each group respectively. Inflammatory mediators were detected by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), Western blotting hybridization, enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), polymerase chain reaction (PCR) gene array and antibody array.

RESULTSIt is showed that the levels of interleukin (IL)-1α, IL-4 and IL-12 were enhanced in the low-dose QBD group; levels of IL-1α, IL-12 and IL-18 were augmented in the high-dose QBD group, compared with the LPS group after ELISA detection. Western blot showed that IL-1β and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α expression of the control group were lower than other groups. IL-1β level of the low-dose and high-dose QBD groups detected by RT-PCR was higher in early stage but lower after 24 h than that of the control group (P<0.01). Expression of 84 main inflammatory cytokines and receptors was detected by rat inflammatory cytokines and receptors PCR array. Up-regulation genes were 22 in both the LPS group and the low-dose QBD group, among which 16 up-regulating genes were the same. In these 16 genes, the up-regulating amplitude of 9 genes in the low-dose QBD group was less than that in the LPS group, 4 were similar to and 3 were more. Twenty-nine main cytokines were inspected by rat cytokine antibody array. Intergroup gray value differences were found in 7 expressed cytokines. The levels of these 7 cytokines in the low-dose QBD group were all lower than those in the the LPS group.

CONCLUSIONSQBD has anti-inflammatory effect on sepsis by changing the level of inflammatory mediators.