Effect of Feitai on bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis in rats

The current therapeutic approaches for pulmonary fibrosis, which is characterized by fibroblast proliferation and extracellular matrix remodeling, are unsatisfactory. Feitai, consisting of several herbs, is a folk formula for pulmonary tuberculosis therapy in China. To investigate the effects of Feitai on pulmonary fibrosis, Feitai was administered orally to bleomycin (BLM)-treated rats, and the lung toxicity effects were evaluated according to inflammatory cell count, protein concentration, and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), malondialdehyde level and hydroxyproline content in lung tissue 28 days post-BLM. Serial sections of the lung were stained with hematoxylin and eosin (HE) and Masson trichrome, respectively. The degree of fibrosis was assessed quantitatively using LEICA QWin image analyzer. Results showed that Feitai inhibited BLM-induced lung fibrotic lesions in a dose-dependent manner as reflected by decreased the lung hydroxyproline content and lung fibrosis fraction 28 days after BLM instillation. Treatment with Feitai also significantly ameliorated the BLM-induced lung toxicity effects detected in BALF and lung tissue. The effects in vitro on WI-38 human lung fibroblast cell line showed that Feitai significantly reduced the cell proliferation and transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta stimulated type I collagen synthesis. These results strongly demonstrate that Feitai may be useful in the treatment of pulmonary fibrosis.