Zhongguo Yi Xue Ke Xue Yuan Xue Bao. 1999 Feb; 21(1): 57-61.

[The morphometric analysis of lung on protective effect of Chinese herbs 814 on elastase-induced emphysema in hamsters]

Song R, Ruan Y, Liu Y, Han X.

Department of Pathology, Fuwai Cardiovascular Hospital, CAMS and PUMC, Beijing 100037.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the protective effect of Chinese herbal medicine 814 on elastase-induced emphysema in hamsters. METHODS: Animals were injected intratrachealy with elastase for emphysematous models, prophylactic-therapeutic groups were administrate with 814 through esophagus two weeks before the instillation of elastase untill animals were killed at three different time at first, second, and third month. Pulmonary artery pressure, blood gas analysis, heart index and the ratio of dried weight to wet weight of lungs (WW/DW) were examined. The lung paraffin sections were measured mean linear intercept (MLI), mean alveolar number (MAN), ratio of parenchyma area to total area (PA/TA) by the microscope-computer morphometric analysis system. RESULTS: WW/DW in the prophylactic-therapeutic groups was recovered at the same level with the controls, whereas the emphysematous were significantly increased (P < 0.05); and compared with the emphysematous groups, the prophylactictherapeutic groups significantly decreased in MLI, increased in MAN and PA/TA (P < 0.001 or P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Administration of 814 could partly inhibit the development of emphysema induced by elestase in hamsters.