<i>Opuntia ficus-indica</i> Alleviates Particulate Matter 10 Plus Diesel Exhaust Particles (PM10D)—Induced Airway Inflammation by Suppressing the Expression of Inflammatory Cytokines and Chemokines

Abstract

Particulate matter (PM) exposure may cause adverse health effects such as respiratory disorders. We evaluated the protective effects of various Opuntia ficus-indica (OFI) extracts on airway inflammation associated with exposure to PM10D with an aerodynamic diameter +/CD4+, CD3+/CD8+, and Gr-1+/CD11b) in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and lungs. OFI extracts decreased the expression of cytokines and chemokines, including chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand (CXCL)-1, interleukin (IL)-17, macrophage inflammatory protein-2, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, cyclooxygenase-2, IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-5, IL-6, transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily V member 1, and mucin 5AC, and inhibited IRAK-1, TNF-α, and CXCL-1 localization in BALF and lungs of mice with PM10D-induced airway inflammation. Serum asymmetric and symmetric dimethyl arginine levels were also decreased by OFI extracts treatment. Moreover, all OFI extracts restored histopathological damage in the trachea and lungs of mice with PM10D-induced airway inflammation. These results indicate that OFI extracts may be used to prevent and treat airway inflammation and respiratory diseases.

Keywords

• airway inflammation
• <i>Opuntia ficus-indica</i>
• particulate matter
• diesel exhaust particle
• PM10D-induced respiratory disease