Open Access

Evaluation of the protective effect of Compound Kushen Injection against radiation‑induced lung injury in mice

  • Authors:
    • Ting Xu
    • Sharmistha Chakraborty
    • Daoyan Wei
    • Megan Tran
    • Robyn Rhea
    • Bo Wei
    • Phuong Nguyen
    • Mihai Gagea
    • Xiaoxue Xie
    • Lirong Wu
    • Lorenzo Cohen
    • Zhongxing Liao
    • Peiying Yang
  • View Affiliations

  • Published online on: February 5, 2025     https://doi.org/10.3892/mmr.2025.13453
  • Article Number: 88
  • Copyright: © Xu et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License.

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Abstract

Radiation‑induced lung injury (RILI) is a prevalent complication following thoracic radiation, and currently there is a lack of effective intervention options. The present study investigated the potential of Compound Kushen Injection (CKI), a botanical drug, to mitigate inflammatory responses in mice with RILI, along with its underlying mechanisms of action. C3H mice underwent total lung irradiation (TLI) and intraperitoneal injection of CKI (2, 4 or 8 ml/kg) once daily for 8 weeks. Pre‑radiation treatment with 4 or 8 ml/kg CKI starting 2 weeks before TLI or concurrent treatment of 8 ml/kg CKI with TLI led to a significantly longer overall survival compared with the TLI vehicle‑treated group. Micro‑computed tomography evaluations showed that concurrent treatment with 8 ml/kg CKI was associated with a significantly lower incidence of RILI. Histological evaluations revealed that concurrent CKI (4 and 8 ml/kg) treatment significantly reduced grades of lung inflammation. Following radiation at 72 h, TLI plus vehicle‑treated mice had significantly elevated serum IL6, IL17A, and transforming growth factor β (TGF‑β) levels compared with non‑irradiated normal mice. Conversely, mice that received TLI plus CKI displayed lower cytokine levels than those in the TLI plus vehicle‑treated mice. Immunohistochemistry staining showed a reduction of TGF‑β positive cells in the lung tissues of TLI mice after CKI treatment. The concurrent TLI CKI‑treated mice had a significantly reduced cyclooxygenase 2 (COX‑2) activity and COX‑2 metabolites compared with TLI vehicle‑treated mice. These data highlight that CKI substantially reduced radiation‑induced lung inflammation, mitigated RILI incidence, and prolonged overall survival.
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April-2025
Volume 31 Issue 4

Print ISSN: 1791-2997
Online ISSN:1791-3004

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Copy and paste a formatted citation
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Spandidos Publications style
Xu T, Chakraborty S, Wei D, Tran M, Rhea R, Wei B, Nguyen P, Gagea M, Xie X, Wu L, Wu L, et al: Evaluation of the protective effect of Compound Kushen Injection against radiation‑induced lung injury in mice. Mol Med Rep 31: 88, 2025.
APA
Xu, T., Chakraborty, S., Wei, D., Tran, M., Rhea, R., Wei, B. ... Yang, P. (2025). Evaluation of the protective effect of Compound Kushen Injection against radiation‑induced lung injury in mice. Molecular Medicine Reports, 31, 88. https://doi.org/10.3892/mmr.2025.13453
MLA
Xu, T., Chakraborty, S., Wei, D., Tran, M., Rhea, R., Wei, B., Nguyen, P., Gagea, M., Xie, X., Wu, L., Cohen, L., Liao, Z., Yang, P."Evaluation of the protective effect of Compound Kushen Injection against radiation‑induced lung injury in mice". Molecular Medicine Reports 31.4 (2025): 88.
Chicago
Xu, T., Chakraborty, S., Wei, D., Tran, M., Rhea, R., Wei, B., Nguyen, P., Gagea, M., Xie, X., Wu, L., Cohen, L., Liao, Z., Yang, P."Evaluation of the protective effect of Compound Kushen Injection against radiation‑induced lung injury in mice". Molecular Medicine Reports 31, no. 4 (2025): 88. https://doi.org/10.3892/mmr.2025.13453