Abstract
BACKGROUND
Acute hemorrhagic necrotic pancreatitis is a clinically common digestive system emergency. Lung injury is a common complication and cause of death. Astragalus injection can regulate endocrine balance, enhance immunity, inhibit virus, and exert anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. However, there has been no relevant study on Astragalus injection in lung injury caused by severe acute pancreatitis.
AIM
To analyze the effect of Astragalus injection on the inflammatory response in lung injury secondary to acute hemorrhagic necrotic pancreatitis (AHNP) with regard to regulating the target protein of rapamycin/ribosomal 70S small subunit S6 protein kinase (mTOR/p70S6K).
METHODS
Forty-eight adult SD rats were randomly divided into a control group, a model group, low, medium, and high dosage Astragalus injection groups, and a positive control group, with 8 rats in each group. The histopathological changes of pancreas and lung tissues were recorded. Schmidt score, serum amylase (AMS), Hofouaer score, arterial blood carbon dioxide partial pressure (PaCO2), arterial oxygen partial pressure (PaO2), inflammatory factors [tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6)], and mTOR/p70S6K signaling pathway protein (mTOR, p70S6K, p-p70S6K, p-mTOR, and 4EBP1) levels were assessed.
RESULTS
There were no abnormal changes in the pancreas and lung tissues in the control group. The pancreatic parenchyma of mice in the model group showed flaky necrosis, congestion, and edema, massive destruction of pancreatic acinar cells and interstitial cells, disordered lobular structure, infiltration of inflammatory cells and red blood cell overflow, and disordered alveolar structure, interstitial edema, inflammatory cell infiltration, alveolar septum widening, focal or flaky atelectasis, and hemorrhage. Compared with the model group, the low, medium, and high dosage Astragalus injection groups showed different degrees of improvement in a dose dependent manner. The histopathology of the high dosage Astragalus injection group and the positive control group showed similar characteristics. The Schmidt score, AMS, Hofouaer score, and PaCO2 in the model group were higher than those in the control group, and PaO2 was lower than that of the control group (P < 0.05). Schmidt score, AMS, Hofouaer score, and PaCO2 decreased, and PaO2 increased in the low, medium, and high dosage Astragalus injection groups compared with the model group (P < 0.05). TNF-α and IL-6 in the model group were higher than those of the control group (P < 0.05); TNF-α and IL-6 decreased in the low, medium, and high dosage Astragalus injection groups compared with the model group (P < 0.05). mTOR, p70S6K, p-p70S6K, p-mTOR, and 4EBP1 were higher in the model group than in the control group (P < 0.05), while the low, medium, high dosage Astragalus injection groups had lower mTOR, p70S6K, p-p70S6K, p-mTOR, and 4EBP1 than the model group (P < 0.05).
CONCLUSION
Astragalus injection can improve blood gas indexes, inflammatory response, pancreas and lung pathological state in AHNP in a dose dependent manner. Such effects may be achieved by regulating the mTOR/p70S6K signaling pathway, and inhibiting the mTOR/p70S6K signaling pathway may provides a new idea for the treatment of lung injury in AHNP.
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