» Articles » PMID: 35204064

Quercetin Improves Pulmonary Function and Prevents Emphysema Caused by Exposure to Cigarette Smoke in Male Mice

Abstract

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, and cigarette smoke is a key factor in the development of COPD. Thus, the development of effective therapies to prevent the advancement of COPD has become increasingly essential. We hypothesized that quercetin protects lungs in mice exposed to long-term cigarette smoke. Thirty-five C57BL/6 mice were exposed to cigarette smoke (12 cigarettes per day) for 60 days and pretreated with 10 mg/kg/day of quercetin via orogastric gavage. After the experimental protocol, the animals were euthanized and samples were collected for histopathological, antioxidant defense, oxidative stress and inflammatory analysis. The animals exposed to cigarette smoke showed an increase in respiratory rate and hematological parameters, cell influx into the airways, oxidative damage and inflammatory mediators, besides presenting with alterations in the pulmonary histoarchitecture. The animals receiving 10 mg/kg/day of quercetin that were exposed to cigarette smoke presented a reduction in cellular influx, less oxidative damage, reduction in cytokine levels, improvement in the histological pattern and improvement in pulmonary emphysema compared to the group that was only exposed to cigarette smoke. These results suggest that quercetin may be an agent in preventing pulmonary emphysema induced by cigarette smoke.

Citing Articles

Research advances in polyphenols from Chinese herbal medicine for the prevention and treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a review.

Zhang Y, Wang L, Zeng J, Shen W Naunyn Schmiedebergs Arch Pharmacol. 2025; .

PMID: 40035820 DOI: 10.1007/s00210-025-03945-y.


The Role of Quercetin, a Flavonoid in the Management of Pathogenesis Through Regulation of Oxidative Stress, Inflammation, and Biological Activities.

Alharbi H, Alshebremi M, Babiker A, Rahmani A Biomolecules. 2025; 15(1).

PMID: 39858545 PMC: 11763763. DOI: 10.3390/biom15010151.


Mitochondrial quality control: a pathophysiological mechanism and potential therapeutic target for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Xu M, Feng P, Yan J, Li L Front Pharmacol. 2025; 15():1474310.

PMID: 39830343 PMC: 11739169. DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2024.1474310.


Mitigating inflammation and fibrosis: the therapeutic potential of quercetin liposomes in COPD.

Yin C, Tian Y, Yan A, Wang H, Lu F, Li X Front Pharmacol. 2025; 15:1503283.

PMID: 39741632 PMC: 11685140. DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2024.1503283.


Possible protective effect of quercetin on lung injury induced by skeletal muscle ischemia reperfusion (IR) injury of adult male albino rats: Histological and biochemical study.

Elbaki B, Sameh H, El-Haleem M, Abd-Elsattar A J Mol Histol. 2024; 56(1):48.

PMID: 39699779 DOI: 10.1007/s10735-024-10303-4.


References
1.
Valenca S, Castro P, Pimenta W, Lanzetti M, Silva S, Barja-Fidalgo C . Light cigarette smoke-induced emphysema and NFkappaB activation in mouse lung. Int J Exp Pathol. 2006; 87(5):373-81. PMC: 2517381. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2613.2006.00492.x. View

2.
Kubysheva N, Boldina M, Eliseeva T, Soodaeva S, Klimanov I, Khaletskaya A . Relationship of Serum Levels of IL-17, IL-18, TNF-, and Lung Function Parameters in Patients with COPD, Asthma-COPD Overlap, and Bronchial Asthma. Mediators Inflamm. 2020; 2020:4652898. PMC: 7372292. DOI: 10.1155/2020/4652898. View

3.
Barnes P . Cellular and molecular mechanisms of asthma and COPD. Clin Sci (Lond). 2017; 131(13):1541-1558. DOI: 10.1042/CS20160487. View

4.
Nakagawa M, Hattori N, Haruta Y, Sugiyama A, Iwamoto H, Ishikawa N . Effect of increasing respiratory rate on airway resistance and reactance in COPD patients. Respirology. 2014; 20(1):87-94. DOI: 10.1111/resp.12387. View

5.
Veith C, Drent M, Bast A, Schooten F, Boots A . The disturbed redox-balance in pulmonary fibrosis is modulated by the plant flavonoid quercetin. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol. 2017; 336:40-48. DOI: 10.1016/j.taap.2017.10.001. View