Naringin attenuates enhanced cough, airway hyperresponsiveness and airway inflammation in a guinea pig model of chronic bronchitis induced by cigarette smoke

Naringin is a flavanone with various bioactivities including expectorant effect, antitussive effect and inhibitory effects on asthma and acute lung injury. In present study we examined the effects of naringin on enhanced cough, airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) and airway inflammation in chronic cigarette smoke (CS) exposure-induced chronic bronchitis in guinea pigs. To achieve this, guinea pigs were exposed to CS for 8 weeks (10 cigarettes/day, 6 days/week). Oral administration of naringin (9.2, 18.4 and 36.8 mg/kg) significantly attenuated the enhanced cough and AHR in smoke-exposed guinea pigs, reduced the concentrations of interleukin-8 (IL-8), leukotriene B4 (LTB4) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and decreased the myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity in both BALF and lung tissue, but did not significantly decrease the leukocytes in BALF. Naringin also improved superoxidase dismutase (SOD) activity in lung tissue and increased the content of lipoxin A4 (LXA4) in BALF in this guinea pig model of chronic bronchitis. These results suggested that naringin exhibited antitussive, anti-AHR and anti-inflammation effects on chronic CS exposure-induced chronic bronchitis in guinea pigs, and may possess novel therapeutic potential in the treatment of chronic bronchitis.

► Effects of naringin on guinea pig model of chronic bronchitis were examined.
► Naringin attenuated the enhanced cough and AHR induced by chronic smoke exposure.
► Naringin decreased the airway tissue injury induced by smoke exposure.
► Naringin reduced airway inflammation activity induced by smoke exposure.
► Naringin prevented the decreases of SOD activity and LXA4 content in lung.