Magnolol, a compound extracted from the Chinese medicinal herb Magnolia officinalis, has been proved to exert multiple pharmacological effects, including anti-oxidant and anti-inflammation activities. In this study, how it influenced bleomycin-induced lung fibrosis of rats was investigated. A single intratracheal instillation of bleomycin (5 mg/Kg, sacrificed 7 and 28 days post bleomycin instillation) caused body weight decrease and lung indices increase. Hodroxyproline content, myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) levels increased in the rat lung tissues after bleomycin administration, while superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity decreased in the rat lung tissues. Collagen were excessively deposited in rat lung tissues after bleomycin treatment. However, oral administration of magnolol (10 mg/Kg, 20 mg/Kg, 30 mg/Kg) apparently and significantly inhibited the fibrotic process. It partly reversed the bleomycin-induced increase of hydroxyproline content, MPO activity, TNF-α and TGF-β levels in the lung tissues, significantly inhibited the bleomycin-induced decrease of SOD activity, Excessive collagen deposition was also inhibited by magnolol administration. In summary, our results suggested that magnolol might be a potent anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic agent against bleomycin-induced lung fibrosis.
Keywords: Magnolol; lung fibrosis; transforming growth factor-β; tumor necrosis factor-α.