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Protective Effects of Apigenin Against Paraquat-Induced Acute Lung Injury in Mice

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Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the protective effects of apigenin against paraquat (PQ)-induced acute lung injury (ALI) in mice. Male Kunming mice were randomly divided into five groups: group 1 (control), group 2 (PQ), group 3 (PQ + apigenin 25 mg/kg), group 4 (PQ + apigenin 50 mg/kg), and group 5 (PQ + apigenin 100 mg/kg). The PQ + apigenin group received apigenin by gavage daily for consecutive 7 days, respectively, while the mice in control and PQ groups were given an equivalent volume of saline. We detected the lung wet/dry weight ratios and the histopathology of the lung. The levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), malondialdehyde (MDA), myeloperoxidase (MPO), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) were determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits. The activity of nuclear factor (NF)-κB was also determined. The results indicated that apigenin administration decreased biochemical parameters of inflammation and oxidative stress, and improved oxygenation and lung edema in a dose-dependent manner. These protective effects of apigenin were associated with inhibition of NF-κB. In conclusion, apigenin reduces PQ-induced ALI by inhibition of inflammation and oxidative stress.

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Acknowledgments

This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pharmacy, Yuhuangding Hospital Affiliated to Qingdao University, Yantai, 264000, China

    Rui-Ling Luan

  2. Department of Emergency, Haiyang People’s Hospital, No. 73 Haiyang Road, Haiyang, 265100, China

    Wei Jiang

  3. Department of Radiology, Linyi People’s Hospital, Linyi, 276000, China

    Xiang-Xi Meng

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  1. Rui-Ling Luan
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  2. Xiang-Xi Meng
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  3. Wei Jiang
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Correspondence to Wei Jiang.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethics Statement

All animal experiments were performed in accordance with the Institutional Animal Care Committee of Yuhuangding Hospital.

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Luan, RL., Meng, XX. & Jiang, W. Protective Effects of Apigenin Against Paraquat-Induced Acute Lung Injury in Mice. Inflammation 39, 752–758 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10753-015-0302-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10753-015-0302-2

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