Colquhounia Root Tablet Protects Rat Pulmonary Microvascular Endothelial Cells against TNF--Induced Injury by Upregulating the Expression of Tight Junction Proteins Claudin-5 and ZO-1.

There are currently limited effective pharmacotherapy agents for acute lung injury (ALI). Inflammatory response in the lungs is the main pathophysiological process of ALI. Our preliminary data have shown that colquhounia root tablet (CRT)， a natural herbal medicine， alleviates the pulmonary inflammatory responses and edema in a rat model with oleic acid-induced ALI. However， the potential molecular action mechanisms underlining its protective effects against ALI are poorly understood. This study aimed to investigate the effects and mechanism of CRT in rat pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells (PMEC) with TNF--induced injury.