Aqueous Artemisia argyi extract mitigates acute lung injury in association with coordinated alterations in gut microbiota, metabolic homeostasis, and pulmonary inflammatory gene expression

Background Artemisia argyi is a traditional medicinal herb with established anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory properties. Its aqueous extract (AEAA), enriched in water-soluble bioactive constituents, exhibits favorable safety and bioavailability; however, its potential protective effects against acute lung injury (ALI) and its associations with systemic immunometabolic regulation remain incompletely understood. Methods An LPS-induced ALI mouse model was established following 28 days of AEAA pretreatment. Lung histopathology, pulmonary edema, and inflammatory cytokines were evaluated. Integrated multi-omics analyses—including gut microbiota profiling, untargeted metabolomics of colonic contents and serum, and lung transcriptomics—were performed to characterize treatment-associated microbial, metabolic, and transcriptional alterations. Results AEAA pretreatment dose-dependently alleviated lung injury, reduced pulmonary edema, and suppressed pro-inflammatory cytokines while restoring anti-inflammatory IL-10 levels. AEAA treatment was associated with partial reversal of LPS-induced gut dysbiosis, characterized by reduced abundance of inflammation-associated taxa and enrichment of beneficial genera, particularly Akkermansia and Lactobacillus. Metabolomic analyses revealed treatment-associated normalization of intestinal and systemic metabolic disturbances, including increased homeostasis-related metabolites and reduced inflammation-associated metabolites. Lung transcriptomic profiling suggested attenuation of LPS-associated transcriptional signatures related to NF-κB, MAPK, Toll-like receptor, and PI3K–AKT signaling pathways. Cross-omics integration further revealed coordinated associations among microbial shifts, metabolic remodeling, and pulmonary inflammatory gene expression. Conclusion These findings suggest that aqueous Artemisia argyi extract is associated with mitigation of LPS-induced acute lung injury, accompanied by coordinated alterations in gut microbiota composition, host metabolic profiles, and pulmonary inflammatory gene expression. Although causal relationships were not established, this integrated multi-omics analysis provides a systems-level, hypothesis-generating framework supporting the potential of AEAA as a multi-target botanical candidate for ALI.