Panax notoginseng saponins suppress the PI3K/AKT pathway to enhance autophagy and apoptosis in pulmonary fibrosis.

ABSTRACT: The progressive development of pulmonary fibrosis (PF) is accompanied by an exaggerated inflammatory response and the accumulation of extracellular matrix in the lung parenchyma. Panax notoginseng saponins (PNS) exert promising anti-fibrotic effects involving a cross-talk between autophagy and apoptosis. However, the mechanisms underlying the effects of PNS are yet to be elucidated. In this study, PNS significantly reduced inflammatory injury and collagen deposition in the lungs of PF mice, simultaneously increasing the expression of autophagy-associated and pro-apoptotic genes and the number of autophagosomes and apoptotic bodies. Notably, when either autophagy or apoptosis was inhibited, collagen accumulation was observed. This suggests that both cellular processes independently contribu

SUBMITTER: Hou J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12699031 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature