title: Long-term treatment with royal jelly improves bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis in rats.
abstract: This study investigated the anti-fibrotic potential of royal jelly (RJ) powder against bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis in rats. The rats were given RJ orally (25, 50, and 100 mg/kg per day) for 7 consecutive days before the administration of single intratracheal instillation of bleomycin (BLM) at 7.5 IU/kg. RJ doses were continued for 21 days after BLM exposure. Fibrotic changes in the lungs were studied by cell count and analysis of cytokine levels in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), histopathological examination, and assaying oxidative stress biomarkers in lung tissue. The results showed that BLM administration significantly increased the fibrotic changes, collagen content, and levels of malondialdehyde and decreased total thiol and glutathione peroxidase antioxidant contents in the rats' lung tissue. An increase in the level of cell counts and pro-inflammatory and pro-fibrotic cytokines such as TNF-α and TGF-β in BALF was observed. Also, it significantly decreased IFN-γ, an anti-fibrotic cytokine, in BALF. However, RJ (50 and 100 mg/kg) reversed all of these biochemical indices as well as histopathological alterations induced by BLM. The present study demonstrates that RJ, by its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, attenuates oxidative damage and fibrosis induced by BLM.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Medicinal Plant Research Center, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz 6135715794, Iran.
authors.forename: Hamid Reza
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Zargar
authors.affiliation: a Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Medicinal Plant Research Center, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz 6135715794, Iran.
authors.forename: Ali Asghar
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Hemmati
authors.affiliation: b Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz 3135733118, Iran.
authors.forename: Mehri
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ghafourian
authors.affiliation: c Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Physiology Research Center, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz 6135715794, Iran.
authors.forename: Ardeshir
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Arzi
authors.affiliation: d Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz 6135783151, Iran.
authors.forename: Anahita
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rezaie
authors.affiliation: e Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran 1449614535, Iran.
authors.forename: Seyed Ali
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Javad-Moosavi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001761:Bleomycin; D001992:Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / Q000737:chemistry; D016207:Cytokines / Q000032:analysis; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase / Q000378:metabolism; D006909:Hydroxyproline / Q000378:metabolism; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation / Q000187:drug effects; D008168:Lung / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008315:Malondialdehyde / Q000378:metabolism; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects; D011658:Pulmonary Fibrosis / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D051381:Rats; D013438:Sulfhydryl Compounds / Q000378:metabolism; D000099219:Royal Jelly
chemical_list: D001761:Bleomycin; D016207:Cytokines; D005227:Fatty Acids; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase; D006909:Hydroxyproline; D008315:Malondialdehyde; D013438:Sulfhydryl Compounds; D000099219:Royal Jelly
keywords: antioxidant; antioxydant; bleomycin; bléomycine; fibrose pulmonaire; gelée royale; pulmonary fibrosis; rat; royal jelly