Research

Green tea polyphenol extract attenuates lung injury in experimental model of carrageenan-induced pleurisy in mice

Rosanna Di Paola¹ , Emanuela Mazzon¹ , Carmelo Mui๠, Tiziana Genovese¹ , Marta Menegazzi² , Raffaela Zaffini² , Hisanory Suzuki² and Salvatore Cuzzocrea¹

¹  Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine and Pharmacology, Torre Biologica, Policlinico Universitario, Messina, Italy

²  Biochemistry Division, Department of Neuroscience and Vision, University of Verona, Verona, Italy

author email corresponding author email

Respiratory Research 2005, 6:66doi:10.1186/1465-9921-6-66

Published:	29 June 2005

Abstract

Here we investigate the effects of the green tea extract in an animal model of acute inflammation, carrageenan-induced pleurisy. We report here that green tea extract (given at 25 mg/kg i.p. bolus 1 h prior to carrageenan), exerts potent anti-inflammatory effects in an animal model of acute inflammation in vivo.

Injection of carrageenan (2%) into the pleural cavity of mice elicited an acute inflammatory response characterized by fluid accumulation in the pleural cavity that contained many neutrophils (PMNs), an infiltration of PMNs in lung tissues and increased production of nitrite/nitrate, tumour necrosis factor alpha. All parameters of inflammation were attenuated by green tea extract treatment. Furthermore, carrageenan induced an up-regulation of the adhesion molecule ICAM-1, as well as nitrotyrosine and poly (ADP-ribose) synthetase (PARS) formation, as determined by immunohistochemical analysis of lung tissues. Staining for the ICAM-1, nitrotyrosine, and PARS was reduced by green tea extract.

Our results clearly demonstrate that treatment with green tea extract exerts a protective effect and offers a novel therapeutic approach for the management of lung injury.