Abstract
The antitussive, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory effects of a walnut (Juglans regia L.) septum extract (WSE), rich in bioactive compounds were investigated using the citric acid aerosol-induced cough experimental model in rodents. Wistar male rats were treated orally for three days with distilled water (control), codeine (reference), and WSE in graded doses. On the third day, all rats were exposed to citric acid aerosols, the number of coughs being recorded. Each animal was sacrificed after exposure, and blood and lung tissue samples were collected for histopathological analysis and the assessment of oxidative stress and inflammatory biomarkers. The results of the experiment showed a significant antitussive effect of WSE, superior to codeine. This activity could be due to cellular protective effect and anti-inflammatory effect via the stimulation of the antioxidant enzyme system and the decrease of IL-6 and CXC-R1 concentration in the lung tissue of WSE-treated animals. The antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of WSE were confirmed by biochemical assays and histopathological analysis. This is the first scientific study reporting the antitussive effect of walnut septum, a new potential source of non-opioid antitussive drug candidates, and a valuable bioactive by-product that could be used in the treatment of respiratory diseases.
Highlights
Natural products such as endogenous or exogenous metabolites of animals and plants, played a significant role in the discovery of medicines as more than half of the medicines in use were developed from natural products [1]
Citric acid treatment induced a mean of 31.8 coughs in 8 min, with a latency of 34 sec (Figure 1), accompanied by nasal irritation and minor bleeding around the nostrils
The antitussive action of Walnut septum (WS) could be due to a cellular protective effect, by increasing the resistance of cell membranes and erythrocytes during exposure to citric acid aerosols, and an anti-inflammatory effect
Summary
Natural products such as endogenous or exogenous metabolites of animals and plants, played a significant role in the discovery of medicines as more than half of the medicines in use were developed from natural products [1]. A product derived from salicylic acid, present in the bark of several species of genus Salix [2], codeine, a naturally occurring alkaloid found in plants of Papaver spp. The isolation and use of bioactive compounds from natural products can mitigate the high cost of chemical synthetic drugs in the development of new medications. Cough is a defensive reflex often present in pulmonary diseases including asthma, chronic bronchitis, pulmonary neoplasm, and upper respiratory tract infections. The commonly used treatment can include administration of antitussive medication, codeine being one of the most prominent
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