Cichorium intybus L. significantly alleviates cigarette smoke-induced acute lung injury by lowering NF-κB pathway activation and inflammatory mediators

Nadia Hussain; Nadia Ikram; Kashif Ur Rehman Khan; Liaqat Hussain; Ali M Alqahtani; Taha Alqahtani; Musaddique Hussain; Muath Suliman; Mohammad Y Alshahrani; Basel Sitohy

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e22055

Cichorium intybus L. significantly alleviates cigarette smoke-induced acute lung injury by lowering NF-κB pathway activation and inflammatory mediators

Heliyon. 2023 Nov 10;9(11):e22055. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e22055. eCollection 2023 Nov.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Al Ain University, Al Ain, 64141, United Arab Emirates.
² Faculty of Pharmacy, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Bahawalpur, 63100, Pakistan.
³ Department of Pharmacology, Government College University, Faisalabad, 38,000, Pakistan.
⁴ Department of Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy, King Khalid University, Abha, 62529, Saudi Arabia.
⁵ Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Khalid University, P.O. Box 61413, Abha, 9088, Saudi Arabia.
⁶ Department of Clinical Microbiology, Infection and Immunology, Umeå University, SE-90185, Umeå, Sweden.
⁷ Department of Radiation Sciences, Oncology, Umeå University, SE-90185, Umeå, Sweden.

Abstract

Background: Cigarette smoke (CS) is one of the primary causes of acute lung injury (ALI) via provoking pulmonary inflammation and oxidative stress. Despite substantial studies, no effective treatment for ALI is presently available.

Purpose: New prospective treatment options for ALI are required. Thus, this project was designed to investigate the in vivo and in vitro protective effects of 70 % methanolic-aqueous crude extract of whole plant of Cichorium intybus (Ci.Mce) against CS-induced ALI.

Study design: /methods: Initially, male Swiss albino mice were subjected to whole-body CS exposure for 10 continuous days to prepare CS-induced ALI models. Normal saline (10 mL/kg), Ci.Mce (100, 200, 300 mg/kg), and Dexamethasone (1 mg/kg) were orally administered to respective animal groups 1 h prior to CS-exposure. 24 hrs after the last CS-exposure, BALF and lungs were harvested to study the key characteristics of ALI. Next, HPLC analysis was done to explore the phytoconstituents.

Results: Ci.Mce exhibited significant reductions in lung macrophage and neutrophil infiltration, lung weight coefficient, and albumin exudation. Additionally, it effectively ameliorated lung histopathological alterations and hypoxemia. Notably, Ci.Mce exerted inhibitory effects on the excessive generation of IL-6, IL-1β, and KC in both CS-induced ALI murine models and CSE-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages. Noteworthy benefits included the attenuation of oxidative stress induced by CS, evidenced by decreased levels of MDA, TOS, and MPO, alongside enhanced TAC production. Furthermore, Ci.Mce demonstrated a marked reduction in CS-induced NF-κB expression, both in vivo and in vitro.

Conclusion: Consequently, Cichorium intybus could be a therapeutic option for CS-induced ALI due to its ability to suppress inflammatory reactions, mitigate oxidative stress, and quell NF-κB p65 activation.

Keywords: ALI; IL-1β; IL-6; MPO; NF-κB p65; TOS.