Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 10, 2026
Inducing Acute Lung Injury in Mice by Direct Intratracheal Lipopolysaccharide Instillation
Published on: July 6, 2019
Protective effect of esculentoside A on lipopolysaccharide-induced acute lung injury in mice
Wei-ting Zhong1, Lan-xiang Jiang, Jing-yuan Wei
1Key Laboratory of Zoonosis, Ministry of Education, Institute of Zoonosis, College of Veterinary Medicine, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin, PR China.
Background:
Esculentoside A (EsA) is a saponin isolated from the Chinese herb Phytolacca esculenta. In our study, we sought to investigate the protective effects of EsA on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute lung injury (ALI) in mice.
Materials And Methods:
To determine the effects of EsA on the reduction of histopathologic changes in mice with ALI, inflammatory cell count in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and lung wet-to-dry weight ratio were measured in LPS-challenged mice, and lung histopathologic changes observed via paraffin section were assessed. Next, cytokine production induced by LPS in BALF was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. To further study the mechanism of EsA protective effects on ALI, IκBa, p38, and extracellular signal receptor-activated kinase pathways were investigated in lung tissue of mice with ALI.
Results:
In the present investigation, EsA showed marked effects by reducing inflammatory infiltration, thickening of the alveolar wall, and pulmonary congestion. Levels of tumor necrosis factor α and interleukin 6 elevated by LPS were significantly decreased in BALF in EsA-pretreated ALI model. Furthermore, EsA significantly suppressed phosphorylation of IκBa, p38, and extracellular signal receptor-activated kinase.
Conclusions:
Taken together, our results suggest that EsA suppressed inflammatory responses in LPS-induced ALI through inhibition of the nuclear factor kappa B and mitogen activated protein kinase signaling pathways. EsA may be a promising potential preventive agent for ALI treatment.
