title: [Study on effect of four traditional Chinese medicines distributed along lung meridian on TLR2 and NF-κB expressions in mice with lung heat syndrome].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the effect of four traditional Chinese medicines distributed along lung meridian, namely Ephedrae Hebra, Zingiberis Rhizoma, Scutellariae Radix and Mori Cortex, on TLR2 and NF-κB expressions in mice with lung heat syndrome, in order to study the intervention effect of the four traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) on the lung heat syndrome.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred KM mice were randomly divided into the normal control group, the model group, the Ephedrae Hebra group, the Zingiberis Rhizoma group, the Scutellariae Radix group and the Mori Cortex group (20, 10 g x kg(-1)), nasally dripped with streptococcus pneumoniae to establish the mouse lung heat syndrome model, and then administered with different TCMs. The expressions of TLR2, NF-κB p65 proteins in lung tissues were analyzed by the immunohistochemical method. The expressions of TLR2, NF-κB p65 mRNA were measured by real time PCR.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared with the normal control group, the expressions of TLR2 and NF-κB p65 proteins in lung tissues in the model group were higher (P < 0.01), and the expressions of TLR2 and NF-κB p65 mRNA in lung tissues were up-regulated (P < 0.01 or P < 0.05). Compared with the model group, Ephedrae Hebra high and low dose groups, the Zingiberis Rhizoma low dose group and the Scutellariae Radix high dose group showed decreased expression of TLR2 protein (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01); Ephedrae Hebra high and low dose groups, the Zingiberis Rhizoma low dose group, Scutellariae Radix high and low dose groups and Mori Cortex high and low dose groups showed reduced expression of NF-κB p65 protein (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). Ephedrae Hebra high and low dose groups, Zingiberis Rhizoma high and low dose groups, Scutellariae Radix high dose group and Mori Cortex high dose group showed down-regulated expression of TLR2 mRNA (P < 0.01 or P < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Ephedrae Hebra, Zingiberis Rhizoma, Scutellariae Radix and Mori Cortex can induce the TLR2/NF-κB inflammatory signal pathways by down-regulating the expressions of TLR2 and NF-κB p65 in protein and mRNA, so as to alleviate the lung tissue injury in mice with lung heat syndrome.
authors.forename: Ping
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Su-An
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.forename: Li-Juan
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Che
authors.forename: Shi-Min
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yuan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015536:Down-Regulation / Q000187:drug effects; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000145:classification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000187:drug effects; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008168:Lung / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology; D008297:Male; D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional / Q000379:methods; D016740:Meridians; D051379:Mice; D008517:Phytotherapy / Q000379:methods; D010946:Plants, Medicinal / Q000737:chemistry / Q000145:classification; D011018:Pneumonia, Pneumococcal / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D011897:Random Allocation; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D031364:Scutellaria baicalensis / Q000737:chemistry; D013045:Species Specificity; D013577:Syndrome; D051195:Toll-Like Receptor 2 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D051996:Transcription Factor RelA / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; C493486:Tlr2 protein, mouse; D051195:Toll-Like Receptor 2; D051996:Transcription Factor RelA