Original Research: Extract of Bambusae Caulis in Taeniam inhibits cigarette smoke-induced pulmonary and intestinal inflammation.

The pulmonary and intestinal systems have several characteristics in common. It is believed that these similarities somehow function to cause pulmonary-intestinal crosstalk during inflammation. Many studies have shown that pulmonary disease occurs in association with inflammatory bowel disease more often than is commonly recognized. Bambusae Caulis in Taeniam, a medicinal herb originated from the inner bark of Phyllostachys nigra var. henosis (Milford) Rendle (Poaceae), has been used to cure fever, diarrhea, and chest inflammation in Korea as well as in China. Cigarette smoke is a well-known risk factor for several inflammatory disorders. In this study, we induced pulmonary and bowel inflammation in mice using cigarette smoke and investigated whether Bambusae Caulis in Taeniam extract modulates the inflammatory response in both the lung and the bowel. C57BL/6 mice were exposed to cigarette smoke for 90 min per day for three weeks, and Bambusae Caulis in Taeniam extract was administered via oral injection 2 h before cigarette smoke exposure. The bronchoalveolar lavage cells were counted and hematoxylin and eosin staining were performed. Levels of inflammatory mediators in lung and large intestine were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, real-time polymerase chain reaction, and Western blotting. Our results showed that Bambusae Caulis in Taeniam attenuated cigarette smoke-induced inflammatory response in both the lung and the bowel of mice by inhibiting the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, chemokines, and protease as well as NF-κB signaling factor. Therefore, we suggest that Bambusae Caulis in Taeniam extract might be a candidate therapeutic agent for inhibiting pulmonary and intestinal inflammation.