Therapeutic effects of baicalin on lipopolysaccharide-induced acute lung injury in rats

Baicalin is a flavonoid present in many traditional Chinese medicines. A number of studies show that baicalin has anti-inflammatory actions and protects against a variety of tissue and organ injuries. The effect of baicalin in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute lung injury is not well studied. In this study, typically acute lung injury was induced in rat by intratracheal injection of LPS, which increased lactate dehydrogenase activity and protein content in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, wet/dry lung weight ratio, Evan's blue dye leakage, and neutrophil infiltration. Baicalin (20 mg/kg) was administrated 1 hour before or 30 min after LPS injection. Both pre and post-treatment with baicalin attenuated the increase of these parameters and improved histological finding. Our results suggest that baicalin has a therapeutic effect on LPS-induced acute lung injury.