[Experimental study on treatment of pulmonary fibrosis by Chinese drugs and integrative Chinese and Western medicine].
OBJECTIVE
To compare the effects of treatment of pulmonary fibrosis (PF) by the Chinese herbal medicines, Radix Salviae miltiorrhizae (C1), Radix Astragalus membranaceus (C2) and Caulis Tripterygium wilfordii (C3); western drugs, hydrocortisone (W1) and azathioprine (W2), and combined W2 with C3.


METHODS
Eighty SD rats were divided into 8 groups. Except the 10 rats in the normal control group, the other 70 rats were made into animal model of PF by bleomycin administration, and treated with various medicines, except the 10 rats in the model control group. The treatment started from the 15th day of modeling, the model animals were perfused with C1, C2, C3, W1, W2 and W2 + C3 respectively for 14 days. Rats were sacrificed by the end of experiment, their lung tissue was taken for pathological section to conduct the pathological examination under light microscope and computerized image quantitative analysis to evaluate the effects of the treatments objectively.


RESULTS
The therapeutic effect of C1 was the best, that of W1 the second and C2 the third. W2 showed some effect, but PF worsened after the combined therapy of W2 and C3 was applied.


CONCLUSIONS
Radix Salviae miltiorrhizae shows definite therapeutic effect in treating PF.
Dai
Ling-juan
LJ
Gulou Hospital Affiliated to Medical College, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210008. lingdail28@yahoo.com.cn
Hou
Jie
J
Cai
Hou-rong
HR
D000818:Animals; D027885:Astragalus propinquus; D001379:Azathioprine / Q000494:pharmacology; D001761:Bleomycin; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008517:Phytotherapy; D011658:Pulmonary Fibrosis / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D027561:Salvia miltiorrhiza; D029757:Tripterygium
D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D001761:Bleomycin; D001379:Azathioprine; D006854:Hydrocortisone