Effective-compound combination of Bufei Yishen formula III combined with ER suppress airway mucus hypersecretion in COPD rats: via EGFR/MAPK signaling

To explore the combined efficacy of ECC-BYFIII and exercise rehabilitation (ER) in inhibiting airway mucus hypersecretion in a COPD rat model.Forty-eight SD rats were divided into control, model, NAC, ECC-BYFIII, ER and ECC-BYFIII+ER groups (n=8). COPD rats were exposed to cigarette smoke and bacteria for eight weeks and administered various treatments over the next eight weeks. Rats were euthanized at week 17 after pulmonary function testing. Pathological examination of lung tissues was performed. IL-6 and IL-10 levels were measured in BALF and protein levels of MUC5AC, MUC5B, AQP-5, EGFR, ERK, JNK, and p38 were measured in lung tissues.Improved pulmonary function and pathological changes were observed in ECC-BYFIII, ECC-BYFIII+ER and NAC groups. ECC-BYFIII and ECC-BYFIII+ER had greater MAN compared to NAC. Lung inflammation and goblet cell generation were reduced and MUC5AC, MUC5B and AQP-5 expression were lower in all treatment groups. ECC-BYFIII has more significant effect on MUC5AC than ER and NAC. ECC-BYFIII+ER had a greater effect on suppressing IL-6 in BALF compared to other treatments. ECC-BYFIII, ER and ECC-BYFIII+ER reduced EGFR, ERK, JNK, and p38 phosphorylated protein levels. ECC-BYFIII+ER had a greater effect on p-JNK and p-p38 than ECC-BYFIII and NAC.ECC-BYFIII, ER and ECC-BYFIII+ER have efficacy in inhibiting airway mucus hypersecretion with improved pulmonary function and pathological changes. ECC-BYFIII had a greater effect in improving MAN and MUC5AC in lung tissue. ECC-BYFIII+ER had a greater effect in alleviating pulmonary pathology and inflammation. These effects may be mediated by inhibition of the EGFR/MAPK pathway.