Effects of icariin on lung histopathology.

<p>Mice were exposed to CS for 3 months and treated with icariin (25, 50 and 100 mg/kg) or dexamethasone (1 mg/kg). Lung tissue was stained by H&E before being examined. (A) The inflammatory cells of lungs measured by bright microscopy (original magnification,×400). (B) The severity of inflammation was calculated on a 0–3 scale defined as described in <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0102345#s2" target="_blank">Materials and methods</a>. Values of MLI (C) and DI (D) were scored also as described in Materials and methods. Data are mean ± SEM (n = 6). *P<0.05 vs. CS-exposed mice. DEX = dexamethasone; MLI = mean linear intercepts; DI = destructive index.