Abstract: OBJECTIVE: To investigate the therapeutic efficacy of Tiaobu Feishen formulae(TBFS) on cigarette smoke-induced inflammation in vitro using lipopolysaccharide(LPS)-induced and cigarette smoke extract(CSE)-induced NCI-H292 cells.METHODS: We evaluated the inhibitory effects of Bufei Jianpi formula(BJF), Bufei Yishen formula(BYF), and Yiqi Zishen formula(YZF) on the expressions of inflammatory cytokines including tumor necrosis factor(TNF)-α and interleukin(IL)-8, matrix metalloproteinase(MMP)-9, tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloprotease(TIMP)-1, and superoxide dismutase(SOD) in H292 cells stimulated with LPS or CSE. Their related transcription factors and signaling pathways were also analyzed.RESULTS: BJF, BYF, and YZF significantly inhibited the LPS-or CSE-induced expressions of TNF-α, IL-8,MMP-9, TIMP-1, and SOD in H292 cells, and suppressed the activation of transcription factors including nuclear transcription factor(NF)-κB, activator protein(AP)-1, and signal transducers and activators of transcription(STAT) 3 and their corresponding pathways, including NF-κB, mitogen-activated protein kinase(MAPK), STAT3, and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor(PPAR).CONCLUSION: BJF, BYF, and YZF effectively suppressed inflammatory responses, protease-antiprotease imbalance, and oxidative stress induced by LPS and CSE, an effect that was closely associated with the inhibition of the NF-κB, MAPK, STAT3, and PPAR pathways.

Key words: Pulmonary disease,chronic obstructive, Lipopolysaccharides, Cigarette smoking, Inflammation, Epithelial cells, Tiaobu Feishen formulae