目的:研究常山酮对放射性肺损伤的防治作用,并探索其可能机制。方法:健康雌性C57BL/6J小鼠72只,随机分为对照组、照射组、常山酮组及照射联合常山酮组,每组18只。对照组不做处理;常山酮组每只小鼠予常山酮灌胃1次/d,连续1个月或至处死;联合组灌胃方法同常山酮组,并于灌胃至15 d时予全肺6MV-X线单次照射12 Gy;照射组予全肺照射,照射时间及剂量同联合组;照射后24 h、1、2、4、12、20周各组随机处死3只,留取肺组织,H&E染色观察肺组织形态、羟脯氨酸碱水解法测定羟脯氨酸含量、免疫组织化学法及RT-PCR法测定TGF-β1的表达水平。结果:H&E染色结果示联合组小鼠各时间点肺泡炎症及(或)肺纤维化程度较照射组均明显减轻。联合组肺组织羟脯氨酸含量低于照射组,至照射后20周达统计学差异(P=0.037)。免疫组织化学及RT-PCR结果示照射后各时间点照射组及联合组肺组织中TGF-β1表达水平均高于对照组及常山酮组(均P〈0.05);联合组TGF-β1蛋白表达水平于照射后2、4、12、20周显著低于照射组(均P〈0.05),TGF-β1 mRNA水平于照射后4、12周显著低于照射组(均P〈0.05)。结论:常山酮可抑制胸部照射后小鼠肺组织炎性及纤维化改变,这可能是通过抑制放射导致的肺组织中TGF-β1表达升高引起的,有望将常山酮开发为防治放射性肺损伤的新型药物。
Objective:To investigate the inhibitory effects of halofuginone on radiation-induced pulmonary injury and to explore the therapeutic mechanism of this drug. Methods:A total of 72 healthy female C57BL/6 mice were randomized into 4 groups, namely, control, irradiation, halofuginone, and irradiation plus halofuginone groups, with 18 mice in each group. No treatment was performed in the control group. In the halofuginone group, the halofuginone lavage was conducted once a day, with a continuous course treatment for a month or until sacrifice of the mice. In the therapeutic alliance group, the treatment mode was the same as that in the halofuginone group. Then, a 6MV-X ray single fraction irradiation was performed after the completion of a 15-day intragastric administration. At 24 h, 1 week, 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 12 weeks, and 20 weeks after the irradiation, 3 mice from each group were randomly sacrificed, and total lung tissues were harvested. The lung was dissected to prepare pathological sections. The sections were stained with hematoxylin and eosin staining (H&E) to explore morphologic changes. The protein and mRNA expression levels of TGF-β1 were analyzed by a combi-nation of immunohistochemistry and polymerase chain reaction. The level of hydroxyproline was also measured. Results: The out-comes of H&E staining showed that halofuginone markedly ameliorated the acute pulmonary inflammation and fibrosis induced by irra-diation. The combination group had a lower level of hydroxyproline than the irradiation group, with statistically significant differences at 20 weeks after irradiation (P=0.037). The protein and mRNA expression levels of TGF-β1 were higher in the irradiation and combi-nation groups than in the control group and (or) halofuginone group at different time points (P〈0.05). The combination group had lower TGF-β1 protein expression than the irradiation group at different time points, with statistically significant differences at 2, 4, 12, and 20 weeks after the irradiatio