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Context: Pulmonary fibrosis is a devastating disease without effective treatment. Rosemary is appreciated since ancient times for its medicinal properties, while biomolecules originated from the plant have an antioxidant and antifibrotic effect. Objective: The effects of Rosmarinus officinalis L. (Lamiaceae) leaves extract (RO) on bleomycin-induced lung fibrosis were investigated. Materials and methods: Male Wistar rats were given a single dose of bleomycin (BLM, 4 mg/kg, intratracheal), while RO (75 mg/kg, intraperitoneal) was administered 3 days later and continued for 4 weeks (BLM/RO1-curative group). Alternatively, RO was administered 2 weeks before BLM and continued 15 days thereafter (BLM/RO2-prophylactic group). Antioxidant activities of RO and lung tissues were studied by standard methods. Histological staining revealed lung architecture and collagen deposition. RO was characterized for its polyphenol content and by high-performance liquid chromatography. Results: RO polyphenol content was 60.52 mg/g of dry weight, carnosic and rosmarinic acids being major components (6.886 and 2.351 mg/g). Antioxidant effect of RO (DPPH and FRAP assay) expressed as IC50 values were 2.23 μg/mL and 0.074 μg/mL, respectively. In BLM/RO1 and BLM/RO2 lung architecture was less compromised compared to BLM, which was reflected in lower fibrosis score (2.33 ± 0.33 and 1.8 ± 0.32 vs 3.7 ± 0.3). Malondialdehyde levels were attenuated (141% and 108% vs 258% of normal value). Catalase and glutathione-S-transferase activities were normalized (103% and 117% vs 59%, 85% and 69% vs 23%, respectively). Discussion and conclusion: RO has a protective effect against BLM-induced oxidative stress and lung fibrosis due to its phenolic compounds.

We aimed in the present study to investigate the protective effect of Pistacia lentiscus oil against bleomycin-induced lung fibrosis as well as the involvement of oxidative stress in such protection. In this respect, adult male Wistar rats were used and divided into three groups of twenty each: control (NaCl, 0.9%), bleomycin, and bleomycin (4 mg/kg b.w.) + P. lentiscus oil (3 g/kg, b.w.). Animals were pretreated for 30 days before the induction of fibrosis by bleomycin and 1 wk after the induction of fibrosis. The oil principal compounds detected by gas chromatography analysis are: Linoleic and palmitic acids (70.6 and 24.7%, respectively). Our data demonstrated that P. lentiscus oil protected against bleomycin-induced fibrosis as evidenced by TGFβ immunostaining increase in lungs fibrocytes as well as inflammatory infiltrate. We also showed that acute bleomycin-induced fibrosis was accompanied by an oxidative stress in lung tissue as assessed by an increase of lipid peroxidation as well as antioxidant enzyme activities depletion such as superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT). More importantly, P. lentiscus oil treatment reversed all bleomycin-induced oxidative stress parameters disturbances. In conclusion, we suggest that P. lentiscus oil had potent protective effects against bleomycin-induced fibrosis due in part to its antioxidant properties.

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