Therapeutic effect of flaxseed oil on experimental pulmonary fibrosis induced by bleomycin in rats

Abstract

Pulmonary fibrosis is a chronic progressive disorder in which excessive deposition of extracellular matrix leads to irreversible scarring to interstitial lung tissue. In this study, we search to evaluate the therapeutic effect of flaxseed oil (FO) in experimental bleomycin (BLM)-induced pulmonary fibrosis. During our study, 30 male Wistar rats (weight range, 180-220 g) were divided into three groups: the control group (W) received no treatment; the second group (C) received BLM; and the third group (T) received BLM and FO for 21 days. Metabolites present in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) marking the changes obtained following treatment with FO were determined, histological changes in the lungs were evaluated, fatty acids present in lungs and erythrocytes of rats groups were determined by gas chromatography, and oxidative stress and antioxidant enzyme activity in the lung tissue were also recorded. Our results displayed that rat body weight decreased while fibrosis score and inflammatory index in lung tissue were significantly increased after bleomycin instillation. Administration of bleomycin followed by FO treatment reduced bleomycin-induced weight loss, increased proline, glucose, and glycerid rates in BALF and which are characterized by their anti-inflammatory effect and confirming the histological results proved by a decrease in inflammatory index and fibrosis score. This oil also significantly reduced thiobarbitunic acid reactive substance levels in the lungs of rats and increased levels of SOD and CAT and increased fatty acids levels promoting anti-inflammatory reactions especially in erythrocytes (linoleic, arachidonic, docosapentaenoic, and dihomo-γ-linoleic acids). In conclusion, these findings indicate that FO treatment significantly attenuated the increased pulmonary damage induced by bleomycin.

The Possible Effect of Flaxseed Extract on Letrozole-Induced Polycystic Ovary Rat Model: Correlative Histological and Functional Study

“…The antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic effects of flaxseed could be related to its high contents of vitamin E, α-linolenic acid or omega-3 fatty acids, flavonoids and phenolics of flax lignan complex, with the highest activity in scavenging superoxide radicals and other reactive oxygen species (ROS) via acting on both the cyclooxygenase and lipoxygenase pathways, thereby strengthening the endogenous antioxidant defense system that can confer protection on inflammatory/immune cells, disrupt intrinsic and extrinsic cell death pathways so protecting cells from apoptosis induced by oxidative stress in the PCOS rats (Abidi et al, 2016 andTharwat et al, 2017).…”

The potential protective role of flaxseed extract on ventral prostate in a rat model of streptozotocin-induced diabetes: A histological and immunohistochemical study

“…Additionally, Flaxseed controls the inflammatory biomarker levels and reduces the cellular infiltration and fibrosis [13,44] . It reduces the production of the inflammatory cytokines as IL-1, IL-6, TNF and CRP through inhibition of NF-Κb (nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells).…”

Challenges in the Management of Post-COVID-19 Pulmonary Fibrosis for the Latin American Population

“…For example, treatment with epigallocatechin-3-gallate, the most abundant catechin in green tea, significantly inhibited irradiation-induced pulmonary fibrosis [77]. Other non-traditional options that have been studied for pulmonary fibrosis treatment, and that could be studied for post-COVID-19 pulmonary fibrosis treatment as well, are citrus extract [78], grape seed extract [79], rosemary extracts [80], plant glycosides [81], plant triterpene [82], polyphenols and flavonoids [83], alkaloids [84], and plant oils [85].…”