Objective: To investigate the therapeutic efficacy of Tiaobu Feishen formulae (TBFS) on cigarette smoke-induced inflammation in vitro using lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced and cigarette smoke extract (CSE)-induced NCI-H292 cells.
Methods: We evaluated the inhibitory effects of Bufei Jianpi formula (BJF), Bufei Yishen formula (BYF), and Yiqi Zishen formula (YZF) on the expressions of inflammatory cytokines including tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and interleukin (IL)-8, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9, tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloprotease (TIMP)-1, and superoxide dismutase (SOD) in H292 cells stimulated with LPS or CSE. Their related transcription factors and signaling pathways were also analyzed.
Results: BJF, BYF, and YZF significantly inhibited the LPS- or CSE-induced expressions of TNF-α, IL-8, MMP-9, TIMP-1, and SOD in H292 cells, and suppressed the activation of transcription factors including nuclear transcription factor (NF)-κB, activator protein (AP)-1, and signal transducers and activators of transcription (STAT) 3 and their corresponding pathways, including NF-κB, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), STAT3, and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR).
Conclusion: BJF, BYF, and YZF effectively suppressed inflammatory responses, protease-antiprotease imbalance, and oxidative stress induced by LPS and CSE, an effect that was closely associated with the inhibition of the NF-κB, MAPK, STAT3, and PPAR pathways.
Keywords: Cigarette smoking; Inflammation; Epithelial cell; Lipopolysaccharide; Pulmonary disease, chronic obstructive; Tiaobu Feishen formulae.