The effect of Nigella sativa extract on tracheal responsiveness and lung inflammation in ovalbumin-sensitized guinea pigs

• Autor(a) principal: Boskabady, Mohammad Hossein
• Data de Publicação: 2011
• Outros Autores: Keyhanmanesh, Rana, Khamneh, Saeed, Ebrahimi, Mohammad Ali
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Clinics
• DOI: 10.1590/S1807-59322011000500027
• Texto Completo: https://www.revistas.usp.br/clinics/article/view/19568
• topic: Nigella sativa; Asthma; Tracheal responsiveness; Sensitization; Inflammation

OBJECTIVE: To examine the preventive effect of a hydro-ethanolic extract of Nigella sativa on the tracheal responsiveness and white blood cell count in the lung lavage fluid of sensitized guinea pigs. METHODS: Three groups of guinea pigs sensitized to intraperitoneally injected and inhaled ovalbumin were given drinking water alone (group S), drinking water containing a low concentration of N. sativa extract (group S+LNS) or drinking water containing a high concentration of N. sativa extract (group S+HNS). The tracheal responses of control animals (group C) and the three groups of sensitized guinea pigs (n = 7 for all groups) to methacholine were measured by the assessment of the tracheal smooth muscle response to increasing concentrations of methacholine, and the effective concentration causing 50% of the maximum response (EC50) was determined. Tracheal responses to 0.1% ovalbumin and white blood cell counts in the lung lavage fluid were also examined. RESULTS: The tracheal response of the group S guinea pigs to both methacholine and ovalbumin was significantly higher than the response of the controls (p