Thymoquinone attenuates cyclophosphamide-induced pulmonary injury in rats

Antioxidant therapy may be useful in diseases with impaired oxidant-antioxidant balance. This study was designed to examine the effects of thymoquinone (TQ), an anti-inflammatory, antioxidant agent against cyclophosphamide (CP)-induced pulmonary oxidative damage.

Male Sprague-Dawley rats were categorized into four groups. Group I was control. Group II received TQ (100 mg/kg/day, p.o.) for 14 consecutive days. Group III was injected once with CP (150 mg/kg, i.p.). Group IV received TQ for 7 consecutive days, before and after CP injection. The parameters of study were tissue oxidant/antioxidant biomarkers and histological changes in rat lungs.

A single intraperitoneal injection of CP markedly altered the levels of several biomarkers in lung homogenates. Significant increases in the content of lipid peroxides in lung were seen that paralleled the decreased levels of reduced glutathione. Cyclophosphamide increased the level of serum biomarkers: total protein, lactate dehydrogenase, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α). Treatment of rats with TQ 7 days before and after cyclophosphamide injection significantly attenuated the alterations in lung and serum biomarkers associated with inflammatory reactions, with less lipid peroxidation and restoration of antioxidants. Moreover, TQ attenuated the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokine, TNF-α in rat serum. In addition, TQ effectively alleviated CP-induced histopathological changes in lung tissue.

Our results suggest that TQ produces a protective mechanism against CP-induced pulmonary damage and suggest a role of oxidative stress and inflammation in the pathogenesis.