Antioxidant activity of pomegranate juice reduces acute lung injury secondary to hyperoxia in an animal model

Abstract

BackgroundHyperoxia triggers the release of toxic reactive oxygen species (ROS). Pomegranate Juice (PJ) is a rich source of potent antioxidants. We assessed the effects of PJ supplementation on Acute Lung Injury (ALI) in adult rats exposed to hyperoxia for 5 days.MethodsAdult rats were divided into four different groups: control, hyperoxia, hyperoxia + PJ and PJ. Animals were placed in chambers containing either room air or oxygen above 95% for a total of 5 days. Two different PJ concentrations were utilized and the control group received placebo water. Animals were euthanized and their lungs were excised. Assessment of lung injury was accomplished by: a) wet to dry ratio (W/D) method, b) measurement of albumin concentration in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), c) oxidative stress, d) histological evaluation of the lung e) apoptosis and f) transcriptional expression levels of the inflammatory mediators IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-alpha.ResultsAn increase in the W/D and albumin leak was noted in Hyperoxia (p < 0.05). Those findings were attenuated by the higher dose of PJ supplementation. Hyperoxia increased ROS production. Again PJ significantly reduced oxidative stress. Lung sections showed significant reduction in inflammation, edema, and infiltrating neutrophils in Hyperoxia + 80 μmol/kg when compared with Hyperoxia. TUNEL demonstrated significant apoptosis in the Hyperoxia, which was diminished in the Hyperoxia + 80 μmol/kg. Furthermore, increase in IL-1β and IL-6 was noted in Hyperoxia. Again, 80 μmol/kg of PJ significantly reduced the expression of inflammatory mediators.ConclusionIn this animal model, PJ supplementation attenuated ALI associated with hyperoxia.

Anticancer Activity ofPunica granatum(Pomegranate): A Review

“…Some therapeutic approaches include improvement of memory (Ropacki et al, 2013;Bookheimer et al, 2013), neurodegenerative disorders (Forouzanfar et al, 2013), anti-diabetic effects (Middha et al, 2013;Raafat and Samy, 2014), hepatoprotective effects (Middha et al, 2013), anti-bacterial effects (Howell and Souza, 2013), anti-viral effects (Howell and Souza, 2013), antiinflammatory effects (Colombo et al, 2013), cardiovascular disorders (Aviram and Rosenblat, 2012) and cancer treatment (Bhatia et al, 2013;Vlachojannis et al, 2015). A prominent health benefit acquired by pomegranate is its capacity to oppose oxidative stress and attenuate number of inflammatory mediators (Costantini et al, 2014;Husari et al, 2014;Shukla et al, 2008). It is of great importance to maintain appropriate physiologic condition by balancing free radicals and antioxidants for prevention and treatment of chronic diseases like atherosclerosis, cancer, diabetes, arthritis, aging etc.…”

Cigarette Smoking-Induced Cardiac Hypertrophy, Vascular Inflammation and Injury Are Attenuated by Antioxidant Supplementation in an Animal Model

“…Furthermore, in this study, we have shown that cigarette smoke exposure is also associated with significant surge in the expression of inflammatory mediators (TNF-α, IL-1β) expressed in the aortic tissues coupled with an up-regulation of Bdkrb1 (Figures 4, 5). We have shown previously an elevation in the inflammatory pathways in lungs of CS group (Husari et al, 2014). …”

“…In our model, the “nose only” delivery paradigm, which mimics primary smoking exposure, delivered cigarette smoke directly into the airways of tested animals and eliminated inadequate cigarette smoke exposure secondary to whole-body exposure. Our smoke exposure model was previously employed to assess different pulmonary events post smoke exposure (Raza et al, 2013; Husari et al, 2014). …”

“…The other groups received placebo free drinking water. The dose of pomegranate juice supplementation was deduced from previous studies performed by our group (Husari et al, 2014, 2016). …”

Role of Nrf2 and Autophagy in Acute Lung Injury

“…ROS may be produced by inflammatory cells (macrophages and neutrophils) trying to fight infections, or by dysfunctional mitochondria or enzymatic systems in alveolar epithelial cells and capillary endothelial cells after lung tissue damage by hyperoxia, electrophilic xenobiotics, and shear stress (Brune et al 2013; Warabi et al 2007; Bernard et al 2014; Reddy et al 2009c). Antioxidants have been shown to reduce the severity of ALI/ARDS in multiple mouse models that use different initiating insults, highlighting the central role of ROS in the pathophysiology of ALI/ARDS (Aggarwal et al 2012; Howard et al 2014; Ye et al 2015; Husari et al 2014; Shohrati et al 2014; Zhao et al 2014; Lingaraju et al 2015; Hu et al 2015; Yilmaz et al 2014; Yamamoto et al 2012; Campos et al 2012). …”