Pomegranate juice ameliorates pulmonary fibrosis by regulating inflammatory response and epithelial mesenchymal transformation

Abstract

Pulmonary fibrosis (PF) is a chronic, progressive interstitial pneumonia characterized by abnormal epithelial -mesenchymal transition (EMT) and persistent inflammatory injury. Pomegranate has multiple biological activities, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anticancer activities. In this study, we evaluated the effect of pomegranate juice (POMJ) in ameliorating PF and explored the underlying mechanisms in vivo and in vitro. Compared to the Vehicle group, POMJ attenuated bleomycin (BLM)-induced histopathological changes and collagen deposition in the lungs and alleviated the inflammatory response. Western blot and immunohistochemistry results revealed that POMJ treatment reduced the expression of Collagen I and Vimentin and increased the expression of E-cadherin. In addition, in TGF-β1-treated A549 cells, it was further confirmed, which may be associated with inhibition of NF-κB pathway activation. Taken together, these findings suggest that POMJ ameliorates lung injury by regulating the inflammatory response and the process of EMT, exhibiting great potential to ameliorate pulmonary fibrosis.

Keywords

• Pomegranate
• Pulmonary fibrosis
• Inflammatory
• Epithelial mesenchymal transformation
• NF-κB pathway