Bojungikgi-tang Alleviates Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Inflammatory Responses in RAW264.7 Macrophages and C57BL/6 Mice

Background: This study evaluated the anti-inflammatory effect of Bojungikgi-tang (BJT) in a model of acute lung injury (ALI) in mice.Methods: Murine cell line macrophages (RAW264.7) were treated with BJT for 30 minutes before lipopolysaccharide (LPS) treatment. The levels of cytokines, mRNAs, proteins, and related markers were investigated. In addition, BJT (200 mg/kg/day) was administered orally to C57BL/6 mice for 2 weeks prior to an intraperitoneal injection with LPS to induce sepsis and ALI; 24 hours post LPS injection, mice were sacrificed and blood was collected from the infraorbital vein. Lung tissue was harvested, hematoxylin and eosin staining was performed, the wet/dry ratio of the lung tissue was measured, and the serum cytokine levels were analyzed.Results: Compared with LPS treatment, BJT suppressed LPS-induced mRNA expression and secretion of inflammatory cytokines in RAW264.7 macrophages. Furthermore, inducible nitric oxide synthase, cyclooxygenase-2, toll-like receptor 4, phosphorylation of mitogenactivated protein kinases, and phosphorylation of nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells were inhibited by BJT. In mice, LPS-induced pathological changes in lung tissues, such as abnormal histological structures, immune cell infiltration, and lung edema were less severe following BJT treatment. BJT inhibited the LPS-induced increase of cytokines such as interleukin 4, 6, 10, and tumor necrosis factor alpha.Conclusion: BJT had an inhibitory effect in the pathological progress of LPS-induced sepsis and ALI and may be a promising therapeutic agent in the future.