Effects of Radix Angelicae sinensis and shuanghuanglian on a rat model of chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa pneumonia.
OBJECTIVE
To study the effect of two kinds of Chinese herbal medicine, Radix angelicae sinensis (RAS) ([Chinese characters: see text]) and Shuanghuanglian (SHL) ([Chinese characters: see text]) on chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) lung infection in a rat model mimicking cystic fibrosis (CF).


METHODS
Rats were divided into RAS, SHL and control groups. All rats were challenged intratracheally with alginate embedded PA and the treatments with herbal medicine started on the same day of challenge. The drugs were administered subcutaneously once a day for ten days and the control group was treated with sterile saline. The rats were sacrificed two weeks after challenge.


RESULTS
Significantly improved lung bacterial clearance (P < 0.05, P < 0.01) and milder macroscopic lung pathology (P < 0.005) were found in the two treated groups compared to the control group. In the SH treated group, the neutrophil percent in the peripheral blood leukocytes (P < 0.05), the anti-PA IgG level in serum (P < 0.05), the incidence of lung abcesses (P < 0.005) and the incidence of acute lung inflammation (P < 0.05) were significantly lower than in the control group. The RAS treatment reduced fever (P < 0.05), decreased the incidence of lung abcesses (P < 0.005) and lung mast cell number (P < 0.05), and lowered anti-PA IgG1 level in serum (P < 0.05) when compared to the control group. The anti-PA bacterial activity test in SHL was weakly positive whereas in RAS it was negative.


CONCLUSIONS
The treatment with both herbal medicines could increase the resistance of the rats against PA lung infection and they therefore might be potential promising drugs for stimulation of the immnune system in CF patients with chronic PA lung infection.
Song
Z J
ZJ
Department of Clinical Microbiology, University Hospital of Copenhagen, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Johansen
H K
HK
Moser
C
C
Faber
V
V
Kharazmi
A
A
Rygaard
J
J
Høiby
N
N
D029971:Angelica sinensis / Q000737:chemistry; D000818:Animals; D003550:Cystic Fibrosis / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D004338:Drug Combinations; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D031239:Lonicera / Q000737:chemistry; D008517:Phytotherapy; D010946:Plants, Medicinal / Q000737:chemistry; D018410:Pneumonia, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*; D011552:Pseudomonas Infections / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*; D011550:Pseudomonas aeruginosa / Q000276:immunology; D051381:Rats; D011917:Rats, Inbred Lew; D031363:Scutellaria / Q000737:chemistry
D004338:Drug Combinations; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal