Effects of ambroxol hydrochloride on expressions of nuclear factor kappa B and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 in airway epithelium of smoking rats

Objective To explore the anti-inflammatory effects of ambroxol hydrochloride in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD).Methods Thirty Wistar rats were randomly divided into three groups,ie.a control group,a smoking group and an ambroxol group.The rats in the smoking and ambroxol groups were exposed to cigarettes smoking for 12 weeks.Ambroxol hydrochloride was administered via intragastric gavage after 4 weeks smoking in the ambroxol group.After 12 weeks,the expiratory airway resistance(Re)and dynamic lung compliance(CLdyn)were measured.The expression levels of nuclear factor kappa B(NF-κB)and intercellular adhesion molecule-1(ICAM-1)in airway epithelium cell were observed by immunohistochemical method.Results Re was increased and CLdyn was decreased significantly in the smoking and ambroxol groups compared with the control group(all P0.01).Re was lower(P0.01)and CLdyn was higher(P0.05)in the ambroxol group than those in the smoking group.The level of NF-κB and ICAM-1 in smoking and ambroxol groups were obviously increased compared with the control group(all P0.05),which was decreased in the ambroxol group compared with the smoking group(both P0.05).The expression of NF-κB was positively correlated with ICAM-1 expression in airway epithelial cells(r=0.924,P0.01).Conclusions Smoking can increase the airway resistance,reduce the lung compliance and increase the expression of NF-κB and ICAM-1 in airway epithelium.Ambroxol hydrochloride can relieve those effects of smoking,which suggested an anti-inflammatory therapeutic role in COPD.