[Effects of feixianping on serum interleukin-6 and oxygen partial pressure in pulmonary fibrosis rats].
OBJECTIVE
To study the effects of feixianping (FXP) in improving hypoxemia and on serum interleukin-6 (IL-6) in experimental rats with pulmonary fibrosis (PF).


METHODS
Two hundred and forty healthy male SD rats were randomly divided into 5 groups, 48 in each group, i.e. the normal control group (A), the model group (B), the prednisone group (C) and the two FXP groups of high (21.6 mg x kg(-1)) and low (10.8 mg x kg(-1)) dosage (D and E). PF model rats were established by intratracheal instillation of bleomycin, excepting those in Group A, to which normal saline was administered. The corresponding treatment to various groups started from the 1st day after modeling. Rats were sacrificed in batch at 4 time points, i.e., the 7th, 14th, 21st and 28th day, their arterial blood was collected for determination of blood partial pressure of oxygen (PaO2) and serum IL-6 content.


RESULTS
Serum IL-6 content in Group B at all the time points was higher than that in other groups at the same time points (P<0.01). In the FXP treated groups (D and E), levels of IL-6 at the 7th, 14th and 28th day showed no significant difference from those in Group A and C. Since the 14th day, FXP showed its effect in improving hypoxemia in experimental rats which could basically keep in accordance with the effect of prednisone.


CONCLUSIONS
FXP can ameliorate hypoxemia and reduce the level of serum IL-6 in experimental PF rats.
Wang
Shu-chen
SC
Xiyuan Hospital, China Academy of TCM, Beijing 100091.
Zhang
Yan-ping
YP
Fan
Mao-rong
MR
Miao
Qing
Q
Wang
Wei
W
Zhang
Wen-jiang
WJ
Zhang
Yuan-yuan
YY
Lin
Jia-yang
JY
D000818:Animals; D001785:Blood Gas Monitoring, Transcutaneous; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D010101:Oxygen Consumption / Q000187:drug effects; D011658:Pulmonary Fibrosis / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D015850:Interleukin-6