OBJECTIVETo study the preventive and therapeutic effect of Huaxian Decoction (HXD) on bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis in mice by taking treatment of ligustrazin and prednisone as controls, for investigate the clinical value and possible mechanism in treatment of pulmonary fibrosis by traditional Chinese herbs.

METHODSA total of 96 male ICR mice, aged 6 to 8 weeks, were randomly divided into 8 groups. Pulmonary fibrosis was induced in the model group by intranasal instillation of bleomycin 5 mg/kg. HXD were given via gastrogavage to the HXD prevention group and treatment group respectively at 48 h before and 14 days after they were modeled with the same method, and the groups of ligustrazin and prednisone, treatment and prevention, were managed the same as for HXD groups, but with ligustazin and prednisone instead of HXD respectively. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and lung tissue of animals were gathered on day 28. Cellular ultrastructural changes of lung was examined under electron microscope by HE, Masson stain; Content of hydroxyproline (HYP) in lung tissue was assessed by acidolysis method; and concentration of transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) in BALF was assessed by ELISA.

RESULTSPulmonary coefficient was significantly lower in all the drug intervening groups than that in the model group (P < 0.05), improvement on alveolitis and pulmonary fibrosis were alsonaged the safter intervention, especially in the HXD prevention group (Pinstead < 0.05). HYP content in lung tissue and TGF-beta1 content in BALF lowered at the same time.

CONCLUSIONEarly stage application of HXD can alleviate bleomycin-induced alveolitis and pulmonary fibrosis in mice to certain degree, suggesting that Chinese herbs with supplementing qi and activating blood circulation effect could play a definite preventive action on pulmonary fibrosis, and the inhibition on expressions of TGF-beta1 in lung tissues may be one of the mechanisms.