Regulatory Effect of Xiaoyaosan Combined with Pirfenidone on Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis and Depression in Rats Based on p38 MAPK/NF-κB Inflammatory Pathway
10.13422/j.cnki.syfjx.20241201
- VernacularTitle:基于p38 MAPK/NF-κB炎症通路探讨逍遥散联合吡非尼酮对特发性肺纤维化合并抑郁大鼠的调节作用
- Author:
Zilong CUI
1
;
Bitao ZHANG
1
;
Peijian FAN
1
;
Yuanyuan LI
1
;
Shaoxian WANG
1
Author Information
1. Hebei University of Chinese Medicine，Shijiazhuang 050200，China
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis;
depression;
Xiaoyaosan;
chronic psychological stress;
p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase （p38 MAPK）/nuclear transcription factor-κB （NF-κB） signaling pathway
- From:
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae
2024;30(20):1-11
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
ObjectiveTo observe the mechanism of chronic psychological stress aggravating idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis （IPF） in rats and the regulatory effect of Xiaoyaosan. MethodSixty SD rats were acclimatized for one week and then randomly divided into five groups： sham operation group， IPF group， IPF and depression model group， pirfenidone group， and pirfenidone + Xiaoyaosan group， with 12 rats in each group. The IPF group was induced by intratracheal instillation of bleomycin （5 mg·kg-1） and administered 0.9% sodium chloride solution intragastrically. The model group was induced with bleomycin （5 mg·kg-1） combined with chronic unpredictable mild stress to establish a rat model of IPF and depression and administered 0.9% sodium chloride solution intragastrically. Concurrently， the pirfenidone group was administered pirfenidone aqueous solution （50 mg·kg-1） intragastrically， and the pirfenidone + Xiaoyaosan group was administered pirfenidone aqueous solution （50 mg·kg-1） and Xiaoyaosan decoction （19.27 g·kg-1） intragastrically. The experiment lasted for four weeks. Various parameters， including body weight， food intake， sucrose consumption rate， open field behavior， lung function， lung coefficient， pathological changes in lung tissue， and hydroxyproline （HYP） content were compared among the groups. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） was used to measure serum cortisol （CORT）， corticotropin-releasing hormone （CRH）， adrenocorticotropic hormone （ACTH） levels， and serotonin （5-HT） levels in serum and hippocampus. The levels of interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， interleukin-6 （IL-6）， and tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α） in serum and lung tissue were also measured. Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） was employed to determine the mRNA expression of IL-1β， TNF-α， IL-6， p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase （p38 MAPK）， and nuclear transcription factor-κB p65 （NF-κB p65） in lung tissue. Western blot was used to detect the expression of proteins related to the p38 MAPK/NF-κB signaling pathway. ResultCompared with the normal group， IPF and depression model group showed slow weight gain， reduced food intake， decreased sucrose consumption rate， reduced total distance and average speed of movement in the open field test， weakened lung function， increased lung coefficient （P<0.01）， significant inflammatory cell infiltration in lung tissue by hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining， collagen fiber deposition by Masson staining， and increased HYP content （P<0.01）. There were elevated levels of serum CORT， CRH， and ACTH （P<0.05， P<0.01）， increased protein and mRNA levels of IL-1β， IL-6， and TNF-α in serum and lung tissue， decreased 5-HT levels in serum and hippocampus， and increased relative expression of p-p38 MAPK and p-NF-κB p65 proteins in lung tissue （P<0.01）. Compared with the IPF and depression model group， the depression and IPF of rats in the pirfenidone + Xiaoyaosan group were effectively ameliorated， as evidenced by faster weight gain， increased food intake and sucrose consumption rate， increased total distance and average speed of movement in the open field test， enhanced lung function， reduced lung coefficient （P<0.01）， decreased inflammatory cell infiltration by HE staining， reduced collagen fiber deposition by Masson staining in lung tissue， and decreased HYP content （P<0.01）. Decreased serum CORT， CRH， and ACTH levels （P<0.05， P<0.01）， decreased protein and mRNA levels of IL-1β， IL-6， and TNF-α in serum and lung tissue （P<0.05， P<0.01）， increased 5-HT levels in serum and hippocampus （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and decreased relative expression of p-p38 MAPK and p-NF-κB p65 proteins in lung tissue were also noted （P<0.05， P<0.01）， with the effects of Xiaoyaosan + pirfenidone being more significant. ConclusionChronic unpredictable stress exacerbates the progression of IPF in rats. The combination of Xiaoyaosan and pirfenidone not only improves depressive-like behavior but also alleviates pulmonary fibrosis， potentially through the regulation of the p38 MAPK/NF-κB signaling pathway and inhibition of excessive expression of inflammatory factors.
