YiQiFuMai Lyophilized Injection Attenuates Sepsis-Induced Acute Lung Injury via TLR4/Src/VE-cadherin/p120-catenin Signaling Pathway

Abstract Background: Sepsis is a severe disorder leading to a clinically critical syndrome of multiple organ dysfunction syndrome. Most patients with sepsis will be associated with acute lung injury (ALI), which is an independent risk factors of organ failure and death in patients with sepsis at the same time. YiQiFuMai Lyophilized Injection (YQFM) is a modern traditional Chinese prescription preparation, which could ameliorate ALI induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or fine particulate matter. The current study aimed to investigate the effect of YQFM on sepsis-induced ALI and the underlying mechanism.Methods: Male C57BL/6J mice were treated with cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) after tail intravenous injected with YQFM (1, 2 and 4 g/kg). The measurements of lung edema, evans blue leakage, myeloperoxidase content, inflammatory cells in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, histopathological assay and expression of associated proteins were performed at 18 h after CLP.Results: The results illustrated that YQFM inhibited pulmonary edema and inflammatory response, thus ameliorated ALI in sepsis mice. Furthermore, the expression of TLR4 and phosphorylated Src was down-regulated, and the expression of p120-catenin and VE-cadherin was restored by YQFM administration.Conclusion: Our study suggested the therapeutic potential of YQFM on treating sepsis-induced ALI via regulating TLR4/Src/VE-cadherin/p120-catenin signaling pathway.