Chinese Journal of Pharmacovigilance ›› 2026, Vol. 23 ›› Issue (1): 34-41.
DOI: 10.19803/j.1672-8629.20250783

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Active Constituents of Mongolian Medicinal Gentiana dahurica Fisch. Flower Ameliorate Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease in Mice through NF-κB Signaling Pathway

ZHANG Wenxue1,2, WANG Ning2,△, GUO Qi2,3, SONG Wenxuan1,2, CHEN Xingyu1,2, MA Ao2,3, WANG Minjie2,4#, YI Letai2,5,*   

  1. 1School of Pharmacy, Inner Mongolia Medical University, Hohhot Inner Mongolia 010000, China;
    2Key Laboratory of Quality Research and Efficacy Evaluation of Traditional Chinese Medicine (Mongolian Medicine), Inner Mongolia Medical University, Hohhot Inner Mongolia 010000, China;
    3School of Pharmacy, Baotou Medical College, Baotou Inner Mongolia 014040, China;
    4School of Basic Medicine, Inner Mongolia Medical University, Hohhot Inner Mongolia 010000, China;
    5Medical Innovation Center for Nationalities, Inner Mongolia Medical University, Hohhot Inner Mongolia 010110, China
  • Received:2025-11-05 Online:2026-01-15 Published:2026-01-15

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Abstract: Objective To investigate the protective effects and underlying mechanisms of active constituents-caffeic acid and quercetin-from Gentiana dahurica flower against lung injury in a mouse model of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) induced by cigarette smoke exposure combined with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Methods A COPD mouse model was established by combining cigarette smoke exposure with intranasal LPS administration. Sixty male C57BL/6J mice were randomly assigned to five groups (n=12): control group, model group, dexamethasone group (2 mg·kg⁻¹), caffeic acid group (15 mg·kg⁻¹), and quercetin group (10 mg·kg⁻¹). Except the control group, all the mice were exposed to cigarette smoke using a semi-automatic exposure system for 16 weeks. Drug administration by gavage started at week 5 and continued for 12 weeks. Low-dose LPS was intranasally instilled once weekly. Body weight, lung function, histopathological changes, inflammatory mediator expressions, and NF-κB pathway-related protein levels were recorded. Molecular docking analysis was conducted to evaluate the binding affinity of caffeic acid and quercetin to key NF-κB signaling proteins. Results Compared with the control group, COPD model mice exhibited suppressed body weight gain, impaired lung function, pronounced inflammatory lung injury, and significantly elevated mRNA levels of inflammatory cytokines as well as increased expressions of NF-κB p65 and IκBα proteins (P<0.05). Treatment with caffeic acid or quercetin markedly improved body weight and lung function, alleviated pathological damage to the lung, and significantly reduced inflammatory cytokine expressions and NF-κB pathway-related protein levels compared with the model group (P<0.05). Molecular docking results demonstrated stable binding of both caffeic acid and quercetin to key proteins of the NF-κB signaling pathway. Conclusion Caffeic acid and quercetin, the major active constituents of Gentiana dahurica flower, can effectively ameliorate lung dysfunction, pathological injury, and inflammatory responses in COPD mice, potentially by inhibiting NF-κB signaling pathway activation.

Key words: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Gentiana dahurica Fisch., Mongolian Medicine, Caffeic Acid, Quercetin, Molecular Docking, NF-κB Signaling Pathway, Mice

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