Fluoxetine, an Antidepressant Drug, Inhibited Cigarette Smoke-Induced Pulmonary Inflammation and Apoptosis in Rats.

The present study was designed to evaluate the anti-inflammatory effect of fluoxetine (Flu) against cigarette smoke (CS)-induced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in rats. Forty male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly assigned to five groups: control group, CS group, dexamethasone (2 mg/kg) group, and flu (2 mg/kg). H&E staining demonstrated that Flu inhibited CS-induced pathological injury. In addition, Flu could restore the levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and malondialdehyde (MDA) in serum. Flu also inhibited the levels of cytokines including tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and interleukin-1β (IL-1β). Furthermore, flu significantly inhibited the protein levels of TLR/NF-κB and apoptosis pathway in CS-induced rats. Our findings suggested that flu might effectively ameliorate the progression of COPD via inflammation and apoptosis pathway in rats.