The aim of this study was to evaluate differences in the effects of Ephedra sinica Stapf and Fructus Schisandrae Chinensis on angiogenesis in the treatment of
bleomycin-induced rat
idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. The rat models were created using
bleomycin. The animals were divided into six groups: model, control, Ephedra alone, Schisandrae alone, combination of Ephedra and Schisandrae, and
hydrocortisone alone. The treatments were administered for 28 days. After 7 and 28 days, the rats were sacrificed for pathological morphology examination, microvascular density determination, and angiogenesis-related
cytokine examination. The Ephedra and
hydrocortisone groups demonstrated significantly reduced alveolitis and
pulmonary fibrosis grades compared with the model group (P < 0.05). The number of blood vessels in the Ephedra group was higher than that in the Schisandrae and combination
therapy groups. At 7 days, the expression level of
endothelin (ET)-1 in the model group was significantly higher than that in the normal group (P < 0.01). The level of 6-keto-prostaglandin F1α (6-keto-PGF1α) in the treatment group increased, and there were significant differences between the Ephedra group and the combination
therapy and normal groups (P < 0.05). Ephedra inhibited the increase in the lung coefficient. The combination
therapy prevented pulmonary artery injury and angiogenesis of the arteries by reducing the level of ET-1 and promoting the level of 6-keto-PGF1α in the blood. Ephedra and Schisandrae prevented alveolitis and the development of
pulmonary fibrosis.