Acute lung injury (ALI) is a kind of lung serious disease which leads to the damage of alveolar epithelial cells and capillary endothelial.
Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is one of the common factors inducing ALI. The previous study has reported that the anti-inflammatory effect of
peiminine, but little is known about its effect on the ALI induced by LPS. The aim of this study is to investigate the
therapeutic effect of
peiminine on LPS-induced
acute lung injury and potential mechanisms. Mice were given LPS through nasal cavity to establish ALI model, and then the
peiminine (1, 3, or 5 mg/kg) was injected into the mice as the experimental group. In the present study, we would measure the W/D ratio, activity of MPO, the histopathological changes, and the levels of
cytokines. The results showed that
peiminine could reduce the W/D ratio and the MPO activity significantly. Furthermore, the histopathological changes and the expression of TNF-α, IL-1β, and
IL-6 were inhibited after the
peiminine treatment. In vitro,
peiminine significantly inhibited LPS-induced
IL-8 production in A549 lung epithelial cells. Meanwhile, the activity of NF-κB signaling pathway was suppressed obviously by
peiminine with the western blot analysis. Also,
peiminine significantly attenuated LPS-induced AKT and PI3K phosphorylation. In addition,
peiminine was found to disrupt
lipid rafts formation by attenuating the
cholesterol content. In conclusion,
peiminine could attenuate LPS-induced ALI in mice and it may become a new approach to treat ALI.