OBJECTIVETo evaluate the impact and long-term effect of three prescriptions regulating and tonifying lung and kidney (prescription tonifying lung and spleen, prescription tonifying lung and kidney, and prescription tonifying Qi and kidney) on JAK/STAT signaling of COPD rats.

METHODRats were randomly divided into the control group, the model group, the Bufeijianpi group, the Bufeiyishen group, the Yiqizishen group and the aminophyline group. The COPD rat model was established by smoke inhalations and bacterial infections. In the 9th week, the control group and the model group were administered with normal saline, while the remaining groups are orally given corresponding medicines. In the 20th and 32nd week, the rats were sacrificed in batches to observe the pathology in their lung tissues, protein expressions of JAK2, STAT1, STAT3, STAT5, and expressions of JAK2 and SOCS3 mRNA.

RESULTIn the 20th and 32nd week, protein expressions of JAK2 mRNA and phosphorylation-JAK2, STAT1, STAT3 and STAT5 in the model group were higher than the control group (P < 0.01), whereas the three traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) (Bufeijianpi, Bufeiyishen and Yiqizishen) groups and the aminophyline group were significantly lower (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). The expression of SOCS3 mRNA in the model group was higher than the control group (P < 0.01), whereas the level was notably higher in the three TCM groups and the aminophylline group (P < 0.01). The three TCM groups were remarkably higher than the aminophylline group (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). Compared with the figures in the 20th week, JAK2 mRNA and phosphorylation-JAK2, STAT3 and STAT5 were significantly lower in the Bufeijianpi group in the 32nd week (P < 0.05, P < 0.01), and so did phosphorylation-STAT3 in Bufeiyishen group (P < 0.01) and phosphorylation-STAT3 and STAT5 in the Yiqizishen group (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). However, the aminophylline group showed no significant difference in above indicators.

CONCLUSIONThe three medicines regulating and tonifying lung and kidney can effectively relieve injury of lung tissues, and have long-term effect, which may be related to the regulation of JAK/ STAT signaling. Specifically, prescription tonifying lung and spleen shows good effect in reducing JAK2, STAT3 and STAT5, prescription tonifying lung and kidney shows good effect in reducing p-STAT3, and prescription tonifying Qi and kidney shows good effect in reducing p-STAT3 and p-STAT5.