[Morphological investigation of the protective effect of astragaloside preconditioning against ischemia-reperfusion lung injury in rats].
OBJECTIVE
To study the protective mechanisms of the astragaloside against ischemia-reperfusion lung injury in rats.


METHODS
Ischemia-reperfusion lung injury was induced in SD rats. Astragalus armour glucoside was dissolved in 1% of sodium carboxymethyl cellulose at different concentrations (8, 6, and 3 mg/ml) was intragastrically administered in the rats at the dose of 1 ml/100 g. Cellular and subcellular structural changes in the lung tissue were observed at the end of the experiment using optical and transmission electron microscope, with the wet/dry ratio of the lung tissue and myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity measured.


RESULTS
The wet/dry ratio and myeloperoxidase activity in the lung tissue were significantly higher in the model group than in the sham-operated group (P<0.05), and were significantly lowered by the treatment with astragalus armour glucoside at different doses (P<0.01 or 0.05), and the effect was especially obvious in rats receiving a moderate dose. Pulmonary capillary expansion, erythrocyte leakage and exudate in the alveolar space with obvious pathological changes in the type I and II epithelial cells were observed in model group. Pulmonary capillary expansion was reduced in rats treated with high, medium and low dose of Astragalus armour glucoside, and the medium dose group showed the most obvious effect, in which no edema fluid in the alveolar space or erythrocyte leakage was found with also reduced type II lung epithelial cell degranulation.


CONCLUSIONS
Astragaloside has obvious antioxidant effect in rats with ischemia-reperfusion lung injury, and a medium dose produces the best effect.
Xiong
Ping
P
Department of Pharmaceutical Engineering, South China Agricultural University, Guangdong Second People's Hospital, Guangzhou 510642, China.
Jiang
Ling-zhi
LZ
Liao
Xiu-qing
XQ
D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D019194:Ischemic Preconditioning; D008168:Lung / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008517:Phytotherapy; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D015427:Reperfusion Injury / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology*; D012503:Saponins / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014315:Triterpenes / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use
D012503:Saponins; D014315:Triterpenes; C052064:astragaloside A