Effects of Limax Extract on LPS-induced Acute Inflammation of Airway and Pulmonary in Mice

OBJECTIVE To explore the effects of Limax on LPS-induced acute inflammation of airway and pulmonary in mice. METHODS Forty eight C57BL/6 male mice were randomly divided into normal control group (Ctl), normal control plus Limax intervention group (Ctl+ Limax), model group (LPS) and model plus Limax intervention group (LPS+ Limax), with 12 mice in each group. Each Limax intervention group was given 4.36 g·kg^-1 Limax extract daily by gavage from the day before modeling until the day of modeling. LPS was dripped through the nose to model the acute airway inflammation in mice, and the non-made model was dripped with the same volume of normal saline. The pathologic changes and myeloperoxidase expression of lung tissue in each group were observed. White blood cell count and white blood cell classification in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid(BALF) were performed, and the content of IL-6, CXCL1, TNF-α and IFN-γ in BALF were determined. Principal component analysis of Limax extract was performed using LC-MS and molecular docking in silico was performed to infer the possible active components. RESULTS Limax extract could improve the pulmonary pathologic changes of mice in each group, alleviate the infiltration of white blood cell, decrease the myeloperoxidase expression in lung tissue and the content of IL-6, CXCL1, TNF-α and IFN-γ in BALF. The active components might be Ononin, which had the possibility binding to Siglecs. CONCLUSIONS Limax extract can inhibit the acute airway inflammation obviously, and the active component of Ononin inhibits neutrophil infiltration through Siglecs receptor, may be one of its mechanisms of improving the pathology of acute lung injury.