Effect Of Qidan Granule On Fibroblast Transdifferentiation And Smads-TGFβ Signal Transduction In Murine Bleomycin-Induced Pulmonary Fibrosis

Objective Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a lethal form of idopathic lung disorders for which no current treatment is effective. Initial pathogenetic theory considered IPF as a result of an unidentified insult initiating the cycle of chronic inflammation leading to fibrosis. Traditionally, corticosteroids, immunosuppressive or cytotoxic agents have been used. However, it is now clear that these treatment options are of unproven benefit and have potentially serious side-effects. Whereas, There are evidences that novel Chinese drug of Qidan granule have clinical benefit and have no side-effect. Transforming growth factor-β1(TGF-β1) and persistent myofibroblast formation are major determinants of the aggressive fibrotic disease, IPF. High expression of the α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) during the conversion of fibroblasts into myofibroblasts is an essential feature of pulmonary fibrosis. Nowadays transforming growth factor-pi and the lower Smads family signal transduction are recognized in pulmonary fibrosis. In order to investigate the role of transforming growth factor-pi and smads signal transduction in differentiation of lung fibroblasts into myofibroblasts in Bleomycin A5-induced pulmonary fibrosis model rats, and to explore the effect of Qidan granule on the myofibroblasts activation and on the expression of TGFβ1 -Smads protein and gene, we established the bleomycin model rats group, Qidan granule treated groups and hydrocortisone groups and detected the...