Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 22, 2025
Oropharyngeal Administration of Bleomycin in the Murine Model of Pulmonary Fibrosis
Published on: May 9, 2025
Tannic acid alleviates experimental pulmonary fibrosis in mice by inhibiting inflammatory response and fibrotic
Nandhine Rajasekar1, Ayyanar Sivanantham1, Amrita Kar2
1Department of Biotechnology, BIT-Campus, Anna University, Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, 620024, India.
Abstract:
Pulmonary fibrosis (PF) is a chronic and irreversible scarring disease in the lung with limited treatment options. Therefore, it is critical to identify new therapeutic options. This study was undertaken to identify the effects of tannic acid (TA), a naturally occurring dietary polyphenol, in a mouse model of PF. Bleomycin (BLM) was intratracheally administered to induce PF. Administration of TA significantly reduced BLM-induced histological alterations, inflammatory cell infiltration and the levels of various inflammatory mediators (nitric oxide, leukotriene B4 and cytokines). Additionally, treatment with TA also impaired BLM-mediated increases in pro-fibrotic (transforming growth factor-β1) and fibrotic markers (alpha-smooth muscle actin, vimentin, collagen 1 alpha and fibronectin) expression. Further investigation indicated that BLM-induced phosphorylation of Erk1/2 (extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1 and 2) in lungs was suppressed by TA treatment. Findings of this study suggest that TA has the potential to mitigate PF through inhibiting the inflammatory response and fibrotic process in lungs and that TA might be useful for the treatment of PF in clinical practice.
Insights
Tannic acid (TA), a natural polyphenol, shows promise in treating pulmonary fibrosis (PF). TA significantly reduced lung scarring, inflammation, and fibrosis markers in a mouse model, suggesting potential clinical applications for PF treatment.
Area of Science:
- Pulmonology
- Pharmacology
- Natural Products Chemistry
Background:
- Pulmonary fibrosis (PF) is a progressive lung disease characterized by irreversible scarring.
- Limited effective therapeutic options exist for PF, necessitating the exploration of novel treatments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the therapeutic potential of tannic acid (TA), a dietary polyphenol, in a bleomycin (BLM)-induced mouse model of pulmonary fibrosis.
- To evaluate the effects of TA on histological alterations, inflammatory responses, and fibrotic processes in the lungs.
Main Methods:
- Pulmonary fibrosis was induced in mice via intratracheal administration of bleomycin (BLM).
- Mice were treated with tannic acid (TA) to assess its impact on PF.
- Histological analysis, inflammatory mediator quantification, and assessment of pro-fibrotic and fibrotic marker expression were performed.
- The effect of TA on Erk1/2 phosphorylation in lung tissue was examined.
Main Results:
- TA administration significantly attenuated BLM-induced lung histological damage and inflammatory cell infiltration.
- TA treatment reduced the levels of inflammatory mediators, including nitric oxide, leukotriene B4, and cytokines.
- TA suppressed the expression of pro-fibrotic markers such as transforming growth factor-β1, alpha-smooth muscle actin, vimentin, collagen 1 alpha, and fibronectin.
- TA inhibited BLM-induced phosphorylation of Erk1/2 (extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1 and 2) in the lungs.
Conclusions:
- Tannic acid demonstrates significant potential to mitigate pulmonary fibrosis by inhibiting inflammatory and fibrotic pathways.
- TA's ability to reduce lung scarring and associated molecular markers suggests its utility as a therapeutic agent for PF.
- These findings support the further investigation of tannic acid for clinical application in treating pulmonary fibrosis.
