Shenling Baizhu Powder Attenuates Lung Injury via The Nrf2/HO-1 Pathway In A Rat Model of Obstructive Sleep...

Obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) is characterized by recurrent upper airway obstruction and chronic intermittent hypoxia, which can promote oxidative stress, inflammation, and lung injury. Here, we established a rat model of OSAHS by exposing animals to chronic intermittent hypoxia in a plexiglass chamber with alternating cycles of nitrogen and compressed air for 8 h per day over 35 days, and used this model to evaluate the protective effects of Shenling Baizhu Powder (SLBZP). Rats were assigned to Control, OSAHS, OSAHS + SLBZP low-, medium-, and high-dose, and OSAHS + SLBZP-H + ML385 groups. Lung histopathology, oxidative stress indices, inflammatory cytokines, and Nrf2/heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) expression were assessed by hematoxylin and eosin staining, biochemical assays, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, quantitative real-time PCR, and western blotting. Compared with the Control group, the OSAHS group showed evident lung injury, reduced Nrf2 and HO-1 expression, decreased superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase activities, increased malondialdehyde levels, and elevated serum inflammatory cytokines. SLBZP alleviated these changes, with greater improvement generally observed at the medium and high doses. Co-treatment with the Nrf2 inhibitor ML385 attenuated the protective effects of SLBZP. These findings indicate that SLBZP alleviates OSAHS-associated lung injury and support the involvement of the Nrf2/HO-1 pathway in its protective effects. This protocol provides a practical experimental framework for evaluating herbal or pharmacologic interventions in OSAHS-related lung injury.