The influence of intestine-based treatment using Xuan Bai Cheng Qi Tang on the concentration of trace elements in the main organs of COPD rats

摘要

Objective To test two theories from traditional Chinese medicine: “exterior–interior relationship between the lung and large intestine” and “treating from the intestine principle for lung disorders”. The influence of intestine-based treatment using Xuan Bai Cheng Qi Tang (XBCQT) on the concentration of three trace elements – copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), and manganese (Mn) – was observed in the tissues of the lung, small intestine, large intestine, and stomach of rats suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Methods Thirty-five male Wistar rats were divided randomly and equally into five groups: control; model; Fei treatment (A); Chang treatment (B); and Fei – Chang treatment (C). A rat model of COPD was prepared by tracheal injection of lipopolysaccharide plus exposure to cigarette smoke. Treatments with medicinal herbs started day-22 of administration and exposure to cigarette smoke for 7 days. The control group and model group were administered physiologic (0.9%) saline solution via the stomach. After 7 days of intervention, the tissues of the lung, small intestine, large intestine, and stomach were removed. Inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy was used to detect the levels of Cu, Zn, and Mn in those tissues. Results Compared with the control group, the Cu concentration in the tissues of the small intestine, large intestine, and stomach increased significantly in the model group ( P ?