Screening of traditional Chinese medicines with therapeutic potential on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease through inhibiting oxidative stress and inflammatory response.
BACKGROUND
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a major public health problem and gives arise to severe chronic morbidity and mortality in the world. Inflammatory response and oxidative stress play dominant roles in the pathological mechanism of COPD, and have been regarded to be two important targets for the COPD therapy. Traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) possess satisfying curative effects on COPD under guidance of the TCM theory in China, and merit in-depth investigations as a resource of lead compounds.


METHODS
One hundred ninety-six of TCMs were collected, and extracted to establish a TCM extract library, and then further evaluated for their potency on inhibitions of oxidative stress and inflammatory response using NADP(H):quinone oxidoreductase (QR) assay and nitric oxide (NO) production assay, respectively.


RESULTS
Our investigation observed that 38 of the tested TCM extracts induced QR activity in hepa 1c1c7 murine hepatoma cells, and 55 of them inhibited NO production in RAW 264.7 murine macrophages at the tested concentrations. Noteworthily, 20 of TCM extracts simultaneously inhibited oxidative stress and inflammatory responses.


CONCLUSIONS
The observed bioactive TCMs, particularly these 20 TCMs with dual inhibitory effects, might be useful for the treatment of COPD. More importantly, the results of the present research afford us an opportunity to discover new lead molecules as COPD therapeutic agents from these active TCMs.
Key Lab of Chemical Biology (MOE), School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shandong University, 44 West Wenhua Road, Jinan, 250012, People's Republic of China.
Ming-Xing
MX
Zhou
School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, People's Republic of China.
Xuan
X
Wei
Key Lab of Chemical Biology (MOE), School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shandong University, 44 West Wenhua Road, Jinan, 250012, People's Republic of China.
Ai-Ling
AL
Li
Key Lab of Chemical Biology (MOE), School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shandong University, 44 West Wenhua Road, Jinan, 250012, People's Republic of China.
Ai-Min
AM
Wang
Key Lab of Chemical Biology (MOE), School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shandong University, 44 West Wenhua Road, Jinan, 250012, People's Republic of China.
Ling-Zi
LZ
Lu
Key Lab of Chemical Biology (MOE), School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shandong University, 44 West Wenhua Road, Jinan, 250012, People's Republic of China.
Yue
Y
Yang
Key Lab of Chemical Biology (MOE), School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shandong University, 44 West Wenhua Road, Jinan, 250012, People's Republic of China.
Dong-Mei
DM
Ren
Key Lab of Chemical Biology (MOE), School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shandong University, 44 West Wenhua Road, Jinan, 250012, People's Republic of China.
Xiao-Ning
XN
Wang
Key Lab of Chemical Biology (MOE), School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shandong University, 44 West Wenhua Road, Jinan, 250012, People's Republic of China.
Xue-Sen
XS
Wen
Key Lab of Chemical Biology (MOE), School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shandong University, 44 West Wenhua Road, Jinan, 250012, People's Republic of China.
Hong-Xiang
HX
Lou
Key Lab of Chemical Biology (MOE), School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shandong University, 44 West Wenhua Road, Jinan, 250012, People's Republic of China. shentao@sdu.edu.cn.
Tao
T
Shen
D000818:Animals; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional; D051379:Mice; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects*; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive
D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D000975:Antioxidants; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; Inflammatory response; Oxidative stress; Traditional Chinese medicines