β-carotene protects rats against bronchitis induced by cigarette smoking

• Published in: Chinese medical journal Vol. 116; no. 4; pp. 514 - 516
• Main Author: 庞宝森 王辰 翁心植 唐小奈 张红玉 朱淑洁 毛燕玲 辛平 黄秀霞 张海燕 祝锦
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: China Beijing Institute of Respiratory Medicine, Beijing Chaoyang Hospita, Capital University of Medical Sciences, Beijing 100020, China 01.04.2003
• Subjects: Animals; beta Carotene - pharmacology; Bronchitis - blood; Bronchitis - etiology; Bronchitis - prevention & control; Interleukin-6 - blood; Interleukin-8 - blood; Male; Nitric Oxide - blood; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Smoking - adverse effects; Superoxide Dismutase - blood; β-胡萝卜素; 支气管炎; smoke; bronchitis; β-carotene
• ISSN: 0366-6999; 2542-5641

Objective To investigate the protective effects of B-carotene in rats against the development of chronic bronchitis induced by cigarette smoking.Methods Forty-two Male Wistar rats were randomly divided into three study groups: ①control (n =15), animals underwent no treatment; ②cigarette smoking (n = 15), animals developed chronic bronchitis through long-term cigarette smoking twice a day for 75 d; ③β-carotene plus cigarette smoking animals (n =12) were given 1 ml or 15 mg/kg β-carotene orally every day just before cigarette smoking. The levels of IL-6, IL-8, NO, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and lipoperoxide(LPO) in serum, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and lung tissue were measured and the pathological changes to lung tissue were analyzed using light microscopy.Fiesults Long-term cigarette smoking caused an obvious increase in the amount of IL-6, IL-8 and LPO and a sharp decrease in the levels of NO and SOD in smoking animals compared to controls. β-carotene intake reversed all the changes induced by smoking and alleviated the pathological changes caused by chronic bronchitis.Conclusions Quantitative oral intake of B-carotene had protective effects against chronic bronchitis induced by long-term cigarette smoking, which was associated with the increased production of NO,the clearance of some oxidative free radicals (OFR) and the alleviation of chronic inflammation.