Protective effects of bone marrow-derived endothelial progenitor cells and Houttuynia cordata in lipopolysaccharide-induced acute lung injury in rats.

BACKGROUND/AIMS Acute lung injury/acute respiratory distress syndrome (ALI/ARDS) is a serious health problem, and an effective treatment is needed for use in the clinical setting. METHODS In this study, we first constructed ALI models in Adult Sprague-Dawley rats. We then used an herbal medicine, Houttuynia cordata (HC), to enhance the effect of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) on ALI. RESULTS (1) HC improved the therapeutic effects of EPCs on lipopolysachharide-induced ALI in the rat model; (2) HC down-regulated the anti-inflammatory response by suppressing inflammatory cytokines; (3) the combination of EPC and HC reduced expression of iNOS and ET-1 and subsequently prevented lung injury. CONCLUSION Combined EPC and HC therapy was more effective than either therapy alone. EPC and HC could be used in the clinical treatment of ALI.