Anti-inflammatory Effects of Ziziphus Jujube Mill on LPS-induced Acute Lung Injury in Mice

Parastoo Shaban; Niloofar Honari; Nafiseh Erfanian; Mehran Hosseini; Hossein Safarpour; Saeed  Nasseri

doi:10.18502/ijaai.v22i3.13056

Parastoo Shaban Student Research Committee, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran
Niloofar Honari Student Research Committee, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran
Nafiseh Erfanian Student Research Committee, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran
Mehran Hosseini Department of Anatomical Sciences, Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran
Hossein Safarpour Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran
Saeed Nasseri Department of Molecular Medicine, Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/ijaai.v22i3.13056

Keywords: Acute lung injury; Inflammation; Lipopolysaccharides; Ziziphus

Abstract

Ziziphus Jujuba Mill (Z.J) is a well-known ethnomedical source of biologically active compounds with anti-inflammatory effects. However, its significance in acute lung injury (ALI) has never been studied. The present study aimed to explore whether Z.J could attenuate lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammatory responses in an experimental model of ALI.

Male BALB/c mice received an intratracheal administration of LPS (n=32) or phosphate buffer saline (PBS) (control, n=8). Within 1, 11, and 23 h post-LPS injection, mice were randomly assigned to receive intraperitoneal treatments of saline, dexamethasone (2 mg/kg), and 100 and 200 mg/kg of Z.J extracts, respectively. 24 h after intratracheal administration of LPS, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and lung tissues were harvested and assessed for inflammatory cell influx, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) levels, and histological assessments.

Treatment with Z.J extracts (100 and 200 mg/kg) and dexamethasone effectively reduced LPS-induced neutrophil and other inflammatory cell influx into the lung tissue compared to the untreated group. additionally, both doses of Z.J extracts (100 and 200 mg/kg) significantly ameliorated the lung wet-to-dry ratio and histopathological damage. Furthermore, compared to the untreated ALI mice, Z.J extract at the highest dose could significantly reduce the TNF-α level.

The present findings indicated that Z.J could effectively ameliorate LPS-induced ALI inflammatory responses and might be considered a promising alternative therapy for the ALI phenotype.