Aqueous Artemisia argyi extract (AEAA) was tested in an LPS-induced acute lung injury (ALI) mouse model after 28 days of pretreatment. AEAA produced dose-dependent protection against lung injury, evidenced by reduced pulmonary edema and lower levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, with preservation of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10.
Multi-omics analyses showed AEAA partially reversed LPS-induced gut dysbiosis, decreasing inflammation-associated taxa while enriching beneficial genera, notably Akkermansia and Lactobacillus. Metabolomic profiling indicated restoration of intestinal and systemic metabolic disturbances, including increases in homeostasis-related metabolites and reductions in inflammation-associated metabolites.
Lung transcriptomics revealed attenuation of LPS-driven programs linked to NF-κB, MAPK, Toll-like receptor, and PI3K–AKT signaling. Integrated cross-omics analysis highlighted coordinated links among shifts in gut microbiota, metabolic remodeling, and pulmonary inflammatory gene expression.
Uncertainty remains regarding causal relationships between microbiota changes, metabolic effects, and transcriptional responses. The findings offer a systems-level, hypothesis-generating framework suggesting AEAA as a multi-target botanical candidate for ALI, needing further causal validation.
Frontiers in Immunology published a clinical update in Infectious Disease on 02 Apr 2026.
The item focuses on Aqueous Artemisia argyi extract mitigates acute lung injury in association with coordinated alterations in gut microbiota, metabolic homeostasis, and pulmonary inflammatory gene expression.
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