Protective effects of Garlic extract and hydrocortisone coadministration against sepsis-induced pulmonary lesions in rats
Subject Areas : HistologyBita Vazir 1 * , Rastin Safari 2
1 - Department of Basic Veterinary Sciences, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
2 - Doctor of Veterinary Medicine student, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
Keywords: garlic, hydrocortisone, sepsis, pulmonary lesions,
Abstract :
Uncontrolled inflammation in the early stages of sepsis can lead to acute lung injury. This study aimed to observe the protective and reparative effect of garlic extract combined with hydrocortisone on the lungs in an experimental sepsis model. The groups included the sepsis group (without pretreatment) and groups 20 and 40, which received 20 and 40 mg/kg garlic extract daily for two weeks, along with an injection of 8 mg/kg hydrocortisone on day 14 (after sepsis induction). Sepsis was induced by CLP on day 14, and the rats were killed 24 hours later by pentobarbital (250mg/kg-IP). First, the wet-to-dry lung weight ratio was calculated. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid neutrophil count was assessed. Half of the lung tissue was allocated for histopathology, and the other half for evaluating malondialdehyde (MDA) and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) parameters. The wet to dry weight ratio of the lungs in the sepsis group was found to be higher than the other groups (P<0.01). When examining the amount of malondialdehyde (MDA), it was significantly higher in the sepsis group than in the other two groups (P<0.001). However, the antioxidant reserve in the 40 group was considerably higher than in the sepsis and 20 groups (P<0.01). The grades of histopathological lesions (intra-alveolar and airway exudate) also showed a significant decrease in the sepsis, 20 and 40 groups, respectively. The present study showed that garlic extract plays a role in reducing inflammation caused by sepsis.
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