This invention provides an application of a
drug to inhibit
silicosis fibrosis. This invention demonstrates that
rhodioloside can inhibit the expression levels of
fibrosis-related proteins Collagen 1 and α-SMA in SiO2-exposed mice, reduce the number of diffuse high-density shadows and characteristic silicotic nodules in the interstitial
lung fields, and decrease the area of diffuse
collagen fiber deposition. Simultaneously,
rhodioloside can also inhibit TGF-β-induced expression levels of Collagen 1 and α-SMA in NIH / 3T3 cells, inhibiting the
transdifferentiation of fibroblasts into myofibroblasts. Furthermore, the research results show that the effect of the same
dose of
rhodioloside is comparable to, or even superior to, the current first-line clinical
drug for alleviating
silicosis fibrosis,
tetrandrine. These research results prove that rhodioloside can effectively alleviate
silicosis fibrosis.