Shenling Baizhu Powder Alleviated Lung Damage and Enhanced Immunoregulatory Activity in Mice with Non-Tuberculosis Mycobacterial Lung Disease

Objective To investigate the effects of Shenling Baizhu Powder (SLBZP) on non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM)-induced lung disease in mice. Methods An NTM lung disease mouse model was established by Mycobacterium kansasii infection. C57BL/6J female mice were randomly divided into 5 groups by a random number table (n=6): negative control, NTM, SLBZP-L (2.34 g/kg), SLBZP-H (4.68 g/kg), and rifampicin (20 mg/kg). M. kansasii load in the lungs, liver, and spleen was quantified. Lung histology was performed using hematoxylin and eosin staining. Gene and cytokine expressions related to CD4 + T and natural killer (NK) cells were detected by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay, flow cytometry, real-time quantitative reverse transcription PCR, and Western blot, respectively. Results SLBZP-L and SLBZP-H treatments inhibited M. kansasii growth and reduced the histological damage and granuloma lesion areas in lungs of mice (P + T cells, NK cells, and IFN-γ + NK cells, while decreased IL-10 (P Conclusion SLBZP alleviated NTM-induced lung damage and enhanced NK cell immune response, which might be linked to CD4 + T cell immunity.