Treatment effects of the traditional Chinese medicine Shenks in bleomycin-induced lung fibrosis through regulation of TGF-beta/Smad3 signaling and oxidative stress.

ABSTRACT: Pulmonary fibrosis is a kind of devastating interstitial lung disease due to the limited therapeutic strategies. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) practices have put forth Shenks as a promising treatment approach. Here, we performed in vivo study and in vitro study to delineate the anti-fibrotic mechanisms behind Shenks treatment for pulmonary fibrosis. We found that regardless of the prophylactic or therapeutic treatment, Shenks was able to attenuate BLM-induced-fibrosis in mice, down regulate extracellular matrix genes expression, and reduce collagen production. The aberrantly high Smad3 phosphorylation levels and SBE activity in TGF-β-induced fibroblasts were dramatically decreased as a result of Shenks treatment. At the same time, Shenks was able to increase the expression of antioxid

SUBMITTER: Chu H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5440393 | biostudies-literature | 2017 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature