Fig. 3.

The histopathological injury of lung was ameliorated by berberine in ARDS mice induced by LPS inhalation. After three consecutive days of pretreatment with berberine or dexamethasone, C57BL/6 J mice were intratracheally administered LPS. Lungs from each experimental group were processed for histological evaluation at 12 h after the LPS inhalation. Representative photomicrographs of pulmonary histology (H&E staining, × 40, scale bar 500 μm) are shown as low power full image, the upper-right corner of each picture (H&E staining, × 400, scale bar 50 μm) is high magnification image of the area within the yellow rectangle. NC, Normal control mice; MC, LPS mice; PC, Positive control mice (injection with dexamethasone, 2 mg/kg), BL, injection with berberine at low dose (1 mg/kg) of berberine; BH, injection with berberine at high dose (2 mg/kg); PIC, inhalation with dexamethasone liquid (0.2 mg/ml); BIL, inhalation with berberine at low concentration (0.1 mg/ml); BIH, inhalation with berberine at high concentration (0.2 mg/ml).