Three Tiaobu Feishen therapies protect human alveolar epithelial cells against cigarette smoking and tumor necrosis factor--induced inflammation by nuclear factor-kappa B pathway.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the efficacy of Tiaobu Feishen formulae (TBFS), including Bufei Jianpi formula (BJF), Bufei Yishen formula (BYF), and Yiqi Zishen formula (YZF), on inflammatory response, protease-anti-protease imbalance and collagen deposition in rats. METHODS: In present work, we used an in vitro model of cigarette smoking extract (CSE)- and tumor necrosis factor-a (TNF-alpha)-induced A549 cells to examine the efficacy of BJF, BYF and YZF on the production of inflammatory cytokines, including TNF-alpha and interleukin (IL)-8, IL-6, matrix metalloproteinases (MMP)-9, and IL-10 in CSE or INF-alpha-induced A549 cells. And their related transcription factors and signaling pathway were also analyzed. RESULTS: The results showed that BJF, BYF and YZF could significantly decrease the expression levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokines induced by CSE or TNF-alpha. Furthermore, BJF, BYF and YZF could suppress CSE- or TNF-alpha-induced activation of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kappa B) transcription factors and its corresponding pathways. Taken together, these data implied that BJF, BYF and YZF effectively inhibited CSE- or TNF-alpha-induced inflammatory response in alveolar epithelial cell, which was due to their inhibition effect on NE-kappa B pathways. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that the Tiaobu Feishen therapies may protect human alveolar epithelial cells against cigarette smoking and TNF-alpha-induced inflammation. NE-kappa B pathway may involve in the actions. (C) 2019 JTCM. All rights reserved.