Seabuckthorn Berries Extract Attenuates Pulmonary Vascular Hyperpermeability in Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Acute Lung Injury in Mice

Objective:To investigate the effect of seabuckthorn berries extract(SBE)on pulmonary vascular hyperpermeability in the mice model of acute lung injury(ALI)induced by lipopolysaccharide(LPS).Methods:Sixty Kunming mice were allocated into 6 groups by a random number table,including control,LPS,dexamethasone(Dex,1 mg/kg),and 120,240 and 480 mg/kg SBE groups,10 mice in each group.Except the control group,mice were pre-treated with Dex and SBE,respectively,for 7 days before LPS was intraperitoneally injected to induce ALl.Pulmonary vascular hyperpermeabilitywas evaluated by histopathologic observation and transvascular leakagedetermination.Tumor necrosis factor alpha(TNF-α)and interleukin-6(IL-6)levels in serum were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.The expression of nuclear factor-kappa B(NF-k B)p65 in lung cells was determined by immunofluorescence analysis.The contents of cytoplasmic inhibitorof nuclear factor-kBkinase(IKK)and nuclearp65,as wellasdownstreamproteins of E-selectin(CD62E)and intercellular adhesion molecule-1(ICAM-1),were determined using Western blot analysis.Results:Histopathological observation confirmed SBEtreatment alleviatedmorphological lesion induced by LPS.Compared with the LPS group,480 mg/kg SBE significantly decreased the water content of lung,Evans blue accumulation in lung tissue,and protein concentration and neutrophils count in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid(P<o.01);moreover,480 mg/kg SBE significantly suppressed release of TNF-αand IL-6,and down-regulated expressions of IKK,nuclear p65,ICAM-1 and CD62E(P<0.01).Conclusion:SBE maintained alveolar-capillary barrier integrity under endotoxin challenge in mice by suppressing the key factors in the pathogenesis of ALl.