Jiawei Maxing Shigan Tang alleviates radiation-induced lung injury via TGF-β1/Smad signaling pathway mediated by regulatory T cells

作者：Menglei Wang, Yuqian Feng, Pengcheng Zhang, Kezhan Shen, Jingyang Su, Yazhen Zhong, Xuefei Yang, Shengyou Lin, Jinhua Lu · 发表于：Journal of Ethnopharmacology · 年份：2023 · DOI：10.1016/j.jep.2023.117389 · 被引用次数：22 · 研究领域：Effects of Radiation Exposure、Medicinal Plants and Bioactive Compounds、Plant-based Medicinal Research

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Radiation-induced lung injury (RILI) is a common complication during thoracic radiotherapy which impairs the quality of life in patients and limits radiation doses. Jiawei Maxing Shigan Tang (JMST), which is a modified decoction made of Ephedra, Apricot Kernel, Gypsum, and Licorice, can alleviate the symptoms of RILI in patients. Previous studies and preliminary findings suggested a potential molecular mechanism of JMST in the treatment of RILI. Further studies are needed. AIM OF THE STUDY: To elucidate the mechanisms of how regulatory T cells (Tregs) promote RILI and the effect of JMST on Tregs, as well as the corresponding pathway. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Tregs were isolated from rats, and the supernatant's TGF-β1 level was examined by using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Type II alveolar epithelial cells (AECs) were co-cultured with the supernatant of Tregs, and the expression levels of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related and TGF-β1/Smad signaling pathway-related proteins were analyzed by using western blotting (WB). Afterward, the Tregs were incubated with different concentrations of JMST. The cell viability and TGF-β1 concentration were confirmed by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay and ELISA, respectively. The optimized concentration of JMST was applied in vitro and vivo experiments. The specific mechanism was investigated through the combination of using flow cytometry, lung histopathology analysis, ELISA, and W...