Introduction: The lung is among the primary organs involved in decompression sickness (DCS). Xuebijing (XBJ), a traditional Chinese medicine, has been widely used in the treatment of various acute lung diseases. This study aimed to explore potential benefit of XBJ on lung injuries induced by DCS in a rabbit model.
Methods: Twenty-four male New Zealand white rabbits underwent a simulated air dive to 50 meters' sea water for 60 min with 2.5 min decompression, and received an intravenous injection of XBJ (5 ml·kg-1) or an equal volume of saline immediately following decompression. DCS signs were monitored for 24 h, and blood was sampled before simulated diving and at 6 h and 12 h following decompression for determination of inflammatory indices. Lung tissues were sampled after euthanasia for histology analysis and lung water content, as well as tumour necrosis factor-α level. Another six rabbits were used as control.
Results: XBJ significantly ameliorated lung injuries (lung wet/dry ratio and total protein content in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid), and notably inhibited systemic (serum level of interleukin-1β) and local (tumour necrosis factor-α in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid) inflammation responses.
Conclusions: The results strongly suggest the benefits of XBJ on ameliorating DCS lung injuries, which is possibly via inhibiting systemic and local inflammation. XBJ may be a potential candidate for the treatment of decompression-induced lung injuries.
Keywords: Decompression illness; Decompression sickness; Inflammation; Pulmonary oedema.
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