ABSTRACT
"TCM syndrome of plague attack lung" is a classification of traditional Chinese medicine syndromes of the novel coronavirus pneumonia by the Beijing Municipal Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine. In this study, a mouse model combining disease with syndrome of human coronavirus pneumonia with cold-dampness pestilence attacking the lung was established for the first time, and the therapeutic effect of matrine sodium chloride injection was evaluated based on immune regulation and inflammatory damage. Lung index, lung index inhibition rate and HE stain were used to evaluate the therapeutic effect of matrine sodium chloride injection on the model mice; the viral load in lung tissue was measured by RT-PCR to evaluate its antiviral effect; the percentage of CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells and B cells were detected by flow cytometry to evaluate its immunomodulatory effect; the production of interleukin 6 (IL-6), IL-10, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interferon-γ (IFN-γ) were measured by ELISA to evaluate its anti-inflammatory effect. All interventions and operations in the experiment were approved by the Animal Ethics Committee of the Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, and conformed to the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals published by the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Beijing Experimental Animal Ethics Committee. The results showed that intraperitoneal injection of the high-dose (36.67 mL·kg-1·d-1) and low-dose (18.33 mL·kg-1·d-1) of matrine sodium chloride injection significantly improved the pathological damage of lung tissue and reduced lung index. The lung index inhibition rates were 86.86% and 76.53%, respectively. The production of IL-6, IL-10, TNF-α, IFN-γ, as well as the viral load in lung tissue were reduced significantly compared to the model; the percentage of CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells and B cells in peripheral blood were increased compared to the model. These results indicated that the matrine sodium chloride injection has an evident therapeutic effect on the model, and its mechanism was related to the inhibition virus replication, regulation of immunity function and inhibition of inflammatory factor release. This study provided laboratory data support for matrine sodium chloride injection which was used to treat the novel coronavirus pneumonia in clinical in Hubei province. These results indicated that the matrine sodium chloride injection has a good prospect for prevention and treatment of the novel coronavirus pneumonia.
ABSTRACT
Objective:To observe the therapeutic effect of Kesuting syrups and Keqing capsules, which have the function of promoting lung and resolving phlegm, on a mouse model combining disease and syndrome of human coronavirus pneumonia with cold-dampness pestilence attacking lung. Method:The therapeutic effects of Kesuting syrups (the doses of 22, 11 mL·kg-1) and Keqing capsules (the doses of 1.155, 0.577 5 g·kg-1) on this model were evaluated by the inflammatory changes of lung tissue, the expression of viral nucleic acid, the contents of inflammatory factors [interleukin (IL)-6, IL-10, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and interferon-γ (IFN-γ)], and the percentages of immune cells in peripheral blood (CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells and B cells). Result:Compared with the model group, high- and low-dose groups of Keqing capsules and Kesuting syrups could significantly reduce the inflammatory damage in the lung tissues of mice, Keqing capsules could significantly increase the percentages of CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells and B cells in peripheral blood, Keqing capsules and Kesuting syrups could reduce the expression levels of IL-6, IL-10, TNF-α and IFN-γ, inhibit the viral load in lung tissue, as well as improve the pathogenic manifestations of lung tissue. Conclusion:As the first-line drugs for novel coronavirus pneumonia, Keqing capsules and Kesuting syrups have significant therapeutic effect on the mouse model combining disease and syndrome of human coronavirus pneumonia with cold-dampness pestilence attacking lung, and the mechanism may be related to regulating immune function and reducing cytokine storm.