title: Addition of açaí (Euterpe oleracea) to cigarettes has a protective effect against emphysema in mice.
abstract: Chronic inhalation of cigarette smoke (CS) induces emphysema by the damage contributed by oxidative stress during inhalation of CS. Ingestion of açai fruits (Euterpe oleracea) in animals has both antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. This study compared lung damage in mice induced by chronic (60-day) inhalation of regular CS and smoke from cigarettes containing 100mg of hydroalcoholic extract of açai berry stone (CS + A). Sham smoke-exposed mice served as the control group. Mice were sacrificed on day 60, bronchoalveolar lavage was performed, and the lungs were removed for histological and biochemical analyses. Histopathological investigation showed enlargement of alveolar space in CS mice compared to CS + A and control mice. The increase in leukocytes in the CS group was higher than the increase observed in the CS + A group. Oxidative stress, as evaluated by antioxidant enzyme activities, mieloperoxidase, glutathione, and 4-hydroxynonenal, was reduced in mice exposed to CS+A versus CS. Macrophage and neutrophil elastase levels were reduced in mice exposed to CS + A versus CS. Thus, the presence of açai extract in cigarettes had a protective effect against emphysema in mice, probably by reducing oxidative and inflammatory reactions. These results raise the possibility that addition of açaí extract to normal cigarettes could reduce their harmful effects.
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Farmacologia Cardiovascular e Plantas Medicinais, Departamento de Farmacologia e Psicobiologia, IBRAG - UERJ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. rsoaresdemoura@pq.cnpq.br
authors.forename: Roberto Soares
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: de Moura
authors.forename: Karla Maria Pereira
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Pires
authors.forename: Thiago
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Santos Ferreira
authors.forename: Alan Aguiar
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Lopes
authors.forename: Renata Tiscoski
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Nesi
authors.forename: Angela Castro
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Resende
authors.forename: Pergentino Jose Cunha
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Sousa
authors.forename: Antonio Jorge Ribeiro
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: da Silva
authors.forename: Luis Cristóvão
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Porto
authors.forename: Samuel Santos
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Valenca
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D028023:Arecaceae / Q000737:chemistry*; D001992:Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid; D004646:Emphysema / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D010936:Plant Extracts