The mouse model of
influenza virus
pneumonia (IVP) was established with Kunming line mice and then treated by
Qingfei Decoction (QD). The pathological changes of the isolated lungs of the model animals were observed in the 6th day and 12th day of QD treatment respectively. Optical and electron microscopic examinations of the lung
tissue of IVP mice showed that interstitial pneumonia characterized mainly by monocyte and lymphocyte infiltration was developed; alveoli were filled with many exudative inflammatory cells and serous fluid, alveolar wall was broadened with an unclear structure; in type I pneumcytes, many pinosomes were found in the
cytoplasm of the capillary endothelial cells, and the basilar membrane of the capillaries was destroyed; in type II pneumocytes, the nuclei became irregular, mitochondria in the cytoplasm were apparently swollen, endoplasmic reticulum became distended, the arrangement of lamellar bodies was in disorder, and the joints among epithelial cells were damaged; and the situation was severer in the 12th day of the influenza virus infection of the mice, which manifesting many vacuoles in the cytoplasm, than that in the 6th day. Tissue image quantitative analysis showed that the percentage and gray scale of the disease focus in the model mice were significantly increased. It was proved that QD could obviously relieve interstitial pneumonia and decrease the percentage and gray scale of the disease focus in the model mice.