ObjectiveTo observe the effect of safflower water extract on skin and pulmonary fibrosis in bleomycin-induced systemic scleroderma mice, and to explore the anti-fibrosis mechanism of safflower. Methods24 BALB/C mice were randomly divided into control group, model group and safflower intervention group, with 8 mice in each group. The control group was subcutaneously injected with phosphate buffer, while the model group and safflower intervention group were subcutaneously injected with bleomycin phosphate buffer, once daily. And all three groups of mice received continuous subcutaneous injections for 28 days. At the same time, the control group and the model group were given physiological saline (0.2 mL/d) by intragastric administration, and the safflower intervention group was given safflower water extract (0.2 mL/d， including 30 mg of safflower) by intragastric administration for 28 consecutive days. The activity, hair growth in the skin of injection area on the back and hair removal area, reactivity, and body weight of the three groups during intervention were detected and compared. The mice were sacrificed on the third day after the intervention, and the pathological changes in the skin and lung tissues, as well as the pulmonary fibrosis degree score, were detected and compared among the three groups. The expression levels of COLI and α-SMA in lung tissues of the three groups were detected and compared. The mRNA expression levels of COLI-a1, COLI-a2 and α-SMA in lung tissues of the three groups were detected and compared. ResultsDuring intervention, the activity, hair growth in the skin of injection area and hair removal area on the back, reactivity, and body weight of mice in safflower intervention group were better than those in the model group. The results of HE staining and Masson staining of mice skin and lung tissues showed that the lung tissue structure disorder, inflammatory cell infiltration and collagen fiber proliferation in the three groups in a descending order were the model group, the safflower intervention group, the control group. The pulmonary fibrosis degree score in safflower intervention group and model group was significantly higher than that in the control group, which were significantly lower in the safflower intervention group than those in model group, with statistically significant differences (P＜0.05). The expression levels of COLI and α-SMA in the lung tissue of mice in the model group and safflower intervention group were significantly higher than those in the control group, which were significantly lower in the safflower intervention group than those in the model group, with statistically significant differences (P＜0.05). The mRNA expression levels of COLI-a1, COLI-a2 and α-SMA in model group were significantly higher than those in control group. And the mRNA expression levels mentioned above in the safflower intervention group were significantly lower than those in model group, with statistically significant differences (P＜0.05). ConclusionSafflower water extract has a good anti-fibrosis effect on bleomycin-induced systemic scleroderma mice, which may be related to its ability to significantly reduce the expression levels of COLI and α-SMA in mice.

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