Virgin coconut oil prevents airway remodeling and recovers tracheal relaxing reactivity by reducing transforming growth factor β expression on asthmatic guinea pig

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease with many patients failing to respond appropriately to pharmacotherapy. Thus, virgin coconut oil (VCO) can be an alternative therapy. Guinea pigs were divided into control (Ctrl), chronic allergic lung inflammation (Asth), Asth treated with dexamethasone (Ast...

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Main Authors: Luiz Henrique César Vasconcelos, Maria da Conceição Correia Silva, Alana Cristina Costa, Giuliana Amanda de Oliveira, Iara Leão Luna de Souza, Rubens da Silva Araújo, Adriano Francisco Alves, Fabiana de Andrade Cavalcante, Bagnólia Araújo da Silva
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2024-11-01
Series:Journal of Functional Foods
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1756464624005462
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Summary:Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease with many patients failing to respond appropriately to pharmacotherapy. Thus, virgin coconut oil (VCO) can be an alternative therapy. Guinea pigs were divided into control (Ctrl), chronic allergic lung inflammation (Asth), Asth treated with dexamethasone (Asth + dexa), and Asth supplemented with VCO (Asth + VCO4). The tested animals were sensitized and challenged with ovalbumin. Relaxation induced by arachidonic acid (AA) was impaired in Asth, and this reduction was prevented by VCO (p = 0.0004), indicating formation of relaxing prostanoids, or the decrease of cysteinyl-leukotrienes by VCO. Furthermore, a possible negative modulation of β receptors/BKCa pathway by TGF–β in Asth was prevented by VCO (p = 0.0073). Finally, in Asth, Masson’s trichrome staining revealed airway remodeling and immunohistochemistry showed increased TGF-β expression in the lungs of Asth (p < 0.0001)), which was prevented by VCO and dexamethasone (p < 0.0001), concluding VCO as a possible agent against asthma.
ISSN:1756-4646