Baicalin Mitigates Pasteurella multocida-Induced Pulmonary and Vascular Injury via NLRP3/COX-2 Inhibition in Mice

<i>Pasteurella multocida</i> (<i>P. multocida</i>), a zoonotic bacterium, is one of the most common respiratory pathogens in animal husbandry and causes many public health problems. Infection by <i>P. multocida</i> can cause hemorrhagic pneumonia and induce pulmonary and even vascular inflammatory injury. Baicalin has protective and/or therapeutic effects in a variety of lung diseases. However, whether it also protects against vascular inflammatory injury caused by <i>P. multocida</i> infection in vivo remains to be investigated. The present study used mice infected with <i>P. multocida</i> as a model to explore the alleviation of pulmonary and vascular inflammatory injury by baicalin. Baicalin significantly reduced weight loss, improved the pathological changes of lung and blood vessels, and reduced the expression of the inflammation-related proteins NLRP3, COX-2, IL-1β, and IL-18 in lung and blood vessel tissues. The signal inhibition of NLRP3 and COX-2 may be a key therapeutic pathway to treat <i>P. multocida</i>-induced pulmonary and vascular inflammatory injury. These findings suggest that baicalin inhibits the activation of inflammation to protect pulmonary and vascular injury in vivo. Hence, baicalin exhibits therapeutic potential in the treatment of pulmonary and vascular injury.