The current therapeutic approaches for
pulmonary fibrosis, which is characterized by fibroblast proliferation and extracellular matrix remodeling, are unsatisfactory.
Feitai, consisting of several herbs, is a folk formula for
pulmonary tuberculosis therapy in China. To investigate the effects of
Feitai on
pulmonary fibrosis,
Feitai was administered orally to
bleomycin (BLM)-treated rats, and the lung toxicity effects were evaluated according to inflammatory cell count,
protein concentration, and
lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF),
malondialdehyde level and
hydroxyproline content in lung tissue 28 days post-BLM. Serial sections of the lung were stained with
hematoxylin and
eosin (HE) and Masson trichrome, respectively. The degree of
fibrosis was assessed quantitatively using LEICA QWin image analyzer. Results showed that
Feitai inhibited BLM-induced lung fibrotic lesions in a dose-dependent manner as reflected by decreased the lung
hydroxyproline content and lung
fibrosis fraction 28 days after BLM instillation. Treatment with
Feitai also significantly ameliorated the BLM-induced lung toxicity effects detected in BALF and lung tissue. The effects in vitro on WI-38 human lung fibroblast cell line showed that
Feitai significantly reduced the cell proliferation and
transforming growth factor (
TGF)-beta stimulated
type I collagen synthesis. These results strongly demonstrate that
Feitai may be useful in the treatment of
pulmonary fibrosis.