Anti-Inflammatory Effect Fraction of Bletilla striata and Its Protective Effect on LPS-Induced Acute Lung Injury

Bletilla striata is a well-known traditional Chinese herb with anti-inflammatory properties that is widely used in the treatment of lung conditions such as silicosis, tuberculosis, and pneumogastric hemorrhage. However, little information on the anti-inflammatory ingredients and their activities is available. In this study, an effect fraction of Bletilla striata (EFBS) was enriched, and its anti-inflammatory activities and underlying mechanisms were investigated. EFBS was enriched by polyamide column chromatography and characterized by HPLC; an LPS-induced acute lung injury model was used to evaluate the anti-inflammatory activities of EFBS. Meanwhile, the main anti-inflammation-contributing ingredients and possible molecular mechanism of anti-inflammatory activity in EFBS were verified by component-knockout method combined with LPS-induced RAW264.7 cell model. The EFBS mainly consisted of coelonin (15.88%), batatasin III (32.49%), 3′-O-methylbatatasin III (6.96%), and 3-hydroxy-5-methoxy bibenzyl (2.51%). Pretreatment with the EFBS (20 mg/kg and 60 mg/kg) for five days prior to the administration of LPS resulted in decreases in wet-to-dry lung weight ratio, neutrophil number, MPO activity, total protein concentration, NO level, and MDA level, as well as IL-1β, IL-6, MCP-1, and TNF-α concentrations in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. Western blot analysis demonstrated the increased expressions of iNOS, COX-2, and NF-κB p65 in the LPS treatment group, all of which were ameliorated by EFBS pretreatment. Histological examination confirmed the protective effect of the EFBS. Additionally, component-knockout assay confirmed that these four quantitative components contributed significantly to the anti-inflammatory effect of EFBS. Coelonin, batatasin III, 3′-O-methylbatatasin III and 3-hydroxy-5-methoxy bibenzyl were the main anti-inflammatory components of EFBS and could regulate the expression of downstream inflammatory cytokines by inhibiting p65 nuclear translocation. These findings uncover, in part, the molecular basis underlying the anti-inflammatory activity of Bletilla striata.