Effects of panax notoginseng saponins(三七总皂苷)on activity of lung nuclear factor-κB and acute lung injury in rats with acute necrotizing pancreatitis

Objective To investigate whether panax notoginseng saponins(三七总皂苷,PNS) can inhibit the activity of lung nuclear factor-κB(NF-κB) and ameliorate the lung pathologic injury in rats with acute necrotizing pancreatitis(ANP).Methods Thirty Sprague-Dawley(SD) rats were randomly divided into three groups: sham operation group(group sham),ANP group(group ANP),PNS preconditioning group(group PNS).There were 10 rats in each group.Rat ANP model was induced by retrograde injection of 5% sodium taurocholate to pancreatic duct(1 ml/kg).The rats in the PNS preconditioning group were given by intraperitoneal injection of 50 g/L PNS(1 ml/kg) one hour before model establishment,and those in the other two groups were given 0.9% physiological saline(1 ml/kg) one hour before the operation.Put the rat in each group to death at 6 hours after the respective management was made,and the pulmonary tissues were taken to detect the activity of NFκB by immunohistochemistry and the wet/dry weight ratio of the lung tissue was measured.Results At 6 hours after the model was established in the ANP group,the NF-κB positive cell number(70%-100% positive cells,7 vs.0) and the positive unit((72.52±7.63)PU vs.(33.09±4.75)PU) in the lung tissue were remarkably increased in comparisons with those in the sham group(both P0.05).After PNS preconditioning,the NF-κB positive cell number(70%-100% positive cells,0 vs.7) and the positive unit((42.77±9.79) PU vs.(72.52±7.63) PU,both P0.05) were decreased significantly in comparisons with those in the ANP group.Histopathology scores and wet/dry weight ratio of lung in group ANP were significantly increased compared with group sham,while those were improved in group PNS compared with group ANP(P0.05 or P0.01).Conclusion NF-κB is activated obviously in the lung tissue in ANP rat;PNS may inhibit the activation of NF-κB in the lung tissue in the body and ameliorate the pathological injury in the various viscera.