Objective To investigate the mechanism of Qingke Pingchuan Granules (清咳平喘颗粒) in the treatment of rats with acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) based on the effect of autophagy on cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS)/stimulator of interferon genes (STING) pathway. Methods Male SD rats were randomly divided into control group, model group, dexamethasone (4 mg/kg) group, Qingke Pingchuan Granules low-, high-dose (2.5, 5.0 g/kg) groups and autophagy activator rapamycin (1 mg/kg) group, with 10 rats in each group. An AECOPD rat model was established using cigarette smoke exposure combined with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) airway instillation. After drug intervention, the general status of rats in each group was observed. The pulmonary function and pathological changes in lung tissue were detected. The numbers of inflammatory cells in peripheral blood and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were analyzed. The levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and IL-1β in BALF were measured by ELISA. The mRNA expressions of interferon-β (IFN-β) and chemokine C-X-C motif ligand 10 (CXCL10) in lung tissue were detected by qRT-PCR. The protein expressions of cGAS, STING, p-STING, TANK binding kinase 1 (TBK1), p-TBK1, nuclear factor-κB p65 (NF-κB p65), p-NF-κB p65, microtubule-associated protein light chain 3 (LC3) and autophagy-related gene 5 (ATG5) in lung tissue were determined by Western blotting. Results Compared with model group, the pathological damage and lung function of rats in each treatment group were improved (P < 0.01, 0.001), the numbers of inflammatory cells in peripheral blood and BALF were significantly reduced (P < 0.05, 0.01, 0.001), and the levels of inflammatory factors in BALF were significantly reduced (P < 0.05, 0.01, 0.001). The mRNA expression levels of IFN-β and CXCL10 in lung tissue of rats in Qingke Pingchuan Granules high-dose group and rapamycin group were significantly reduced (P < 0.01, 0.001), the protein expression levels of cGAS, p-STING, p-TBK1 and p-NF-κB p65 were significantly reduced (P < 0.05, 0.01, 0.001), the protein expression levels of LC3-II/I and ATG5 were significantly increased (P < 0.01, 0.001). Conclusion Qingke Pingchuan Granules inhibit cGAS/STING pathway by activating autophagy, thereby alleviating the persistent inflammatory response of AECOPD.

Qingke Pingchuan Granules  /  chronic obstructive pulmonary disease  /  acute exacerbation  /  autophagy  /  cGAS/STING signal axis