Effect of Fruit Hydroalcoholic Extract on Paraquat-Induced Pulmonary Fibrosis in the Rat.

Pulmonary fibrosis (PF) is a lethal inflammatory disease and there has been no effective medication for this progressive disease up to now. Paraquat is commonly used in agricultural settings to control weed growth and is one of the important risk factors for PF. Additionally, emerging evidence has demonstrated () fruit extract has anti-fibrotic, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties. We aimed to evaluate whether fruit hydroalcoholic extract has a positive effect against Paraquat-induced PF in rats. 30 male Wistar rats were randomly divided into 5 groups, which included: a control group, a Paraquat control group, a group with a dose of 20 mg/kg, a group with a dose of 30 mg/kg, a group with a dose of 50 mg/kg. After 21 days of the treatment, levels of hydroxyproline and malondialdehyde (MDA) in lung tissue were assessed and lung indices and semi-quantitative histopathological changes were determined. The results showed that treatment with , led to increased weight gain, whereas reduced lung weight.  demonstrated a decreasing effect on levels of MDA, and hydroxyproline in lung tissue. Moreover, histopathological data and the number of lung indices indicated the preventive role of Paraquat-induced PF in rats.