Efficacy of Shuanghuanglian aerosol inhalation in treatment of mice with H9N2 avian influenza virus infection

  Objective  To explore the efficacy of Shuanghuanglian aerosol inhalation (SHL Inh) in treatment of mice with H9N2 subtype avian influenza virus infection.

  Methods  Forty-five BALB/c mice were randomly divided into normal control group, virus control group, oseltamivir group (controls with positive drugs), SHL intraperitoneal injection (SHL Ip) group and SHL Inh group, with 9 mice in each group. The normal control group was injected with phosphate buffer (PBS) through the nose, and the other four groups were inoculated with the same amount of H9N2 avian influenza virus through the nose. Oseltamivir group, SHL Ip group and SHL Inh group were treated with corresponding drugs respectively after inoculation with virus, the normal control group and virus control group were given the same amount of distilled water for 5 days. The body weights of mice were recorded every day, and the mice were killed on the 5^th day after inoculation. The lungs were weighed, and partial lung tissues were taken to make HE pathological sections, and the virus titer and the expression level of inflammatory factors were measured after homogenization of other lung tissues.

  Results  The lung indexes of mice in the virus control group and the SHL Ip group were significantly higher than that in the normal control group (P < 0.01). The lung index in the SHL Inh group was significantly lower than that in the virus control group and higher than that in the SHL Ip group (P < 0.01). The pulmonary virus titer in the virus control group was (4.06±0.41) lgTCID₅₀/g, while the virus titers in the oseltamivir group, SHL Inh group and SHL Ip group were (3.29±0.27), (3.44±0.46) and (3.33±0.43) lgTCID₅₀/g, which were significantly lower than that in the virus control group (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). SHL Inh did not improve the decline of body mass or reduce the level of pneumonia factors in mice. There were no significant differences in body mass decline, pneumonia factors levels, pulmonary virus titer and pulmonary pathological inflammation between the SHL Ip group and the SHL Inh group (P>0.05).

  Conclusion  SHL Inh has the effect of anti-H9N2 subtype avian influenza virus, and the effect of atomization administration is equivalent to that of injection administration in reducing virus titer.