Zhonghua Jie He He Hu Xi Za Zhi. 2002 Sep; 25(9): 520-3.

[The mechanisms and effects of panax notoginside and methylprednisolone in a rat model of pulmonary fibrosis]

Li X, Cui S.

Department of Respiratory Medicine, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038, China.

OBJECTIVE: To study the effects of panax notoginside (PNS) and methylprednisolone (solu-medrol) on the development of pulmonary fibrosis and the possible underlining mechanisms. METHODS: Rats were divided into 3 groups: pulmonary fibrosis group, PNS treated group and solu-medrol treated group. On days 1, 3, 7, 14, and 28 after bleomycin treatment, 5 rats in each group were killed and the lungs and plasma were harvested for histopathological studies, immunohistochemical determination of collagen I and III and ELISA detection of MIP-1alpha and MCP-1. RESULTS: The degrees of fibrosis, the levels of collagen I and III, and the levels of MIP-1alpha and MCP-1 decreased significantly in the PNS and solu-medrol treated groups as compared with the fibrosis group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Both PNS and solu-medrol are effective in modulating the process of pulmonary fibrosis induced by bleomycin in rats.