Protective Effect of Colla corii asini against Lung Injuries Induced by Intratracheal Instillation of Artificial Fine Particles in Rats

Environmental issues pose huge threats to public health, particularly the damage caused by fine particulate matter (PM(2.5)). However, the mechanisms of injury require further investigation and medical materials that can protect the lungs from PM(2.5) are needed. We have found that Colla corii asini, a traditional Chinese medicine that has long been used to treat various ailments, is a good candidate to serve this purpose. To understand the mechanisms of PM(2.5)-induced lung toxicity and the protective effects of Colla corii asini, we established a rat model of lung injury via intratracheal instillation of artificial PM(2.5) (aPM(2.5)). Our results demonstrated that Colla corii asini significantly protected against lung function decline and pathologic changes. Inflammation was ameliorated by suppression of Arg-1 to adjust the disturbed metabolic pathways induced by aPM(2.5), such as arginine and nitrogen metabolism and aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis, for 11 weeks. Our work found that metabolomics was a useful tool that contributed to further understanding of PM(2.5)-induced respiratory system damage and provided useful information for further pharmacological research on Colla corii asini, which may be valuable for therapeutic intervention.