Dietary Phytoestrogens Ameliorate Hydrochloric Acid-Induced Chronic Lung Injury and Pulmonary Fibrosis in Mice

• Published in: Nutrients 2021-10, Vol.13 (10), p.3599
• Main Authors: Solopov, Pavel, Colunga Biancatelli, Ruben Manuel Luciano, Dimitropoulou, Christiana, Catravas, John D
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Bronchus; Catheters; Chronic Disease; Collagen; Diet; Disease; Estrogen receptors; Estrogens; Extracellular matrix; Extracellular Matrix Proteins - metabolism; Fibrosis; Genistein; Histology; Hydrochloric Acid; Inflammation - pathology; Laboratory animals; Lavage; Leukocyte Count; Lung - physiopathology; Lung diseases; Lung Injury - chemically induced; Lung Injury - complications; Lung Injury - drug therapy; Lung Injury - mortality; Lungs; Male; Mechanics (physics); Medical prognosis; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Models, Biological; Mortality; Phytoestrogens; Phytoestrogens - pharmacology; Phytoestrogens - therapeutic use; Proteins; Pulmonary fibrosis; Pulmonary Fibrosis - complications; Pulmonary Fibrosis - drug therapy; Respiratory function; Respiratory system; RNA, Messenger - genetics; RNA, Messenger - metabolism; Signal Transduction; Soybeans; Transforming Growth Factor beta - metabolism
• ISSN: 2072-6643; 2072-6643
• DOI: 10.3390/nu13103599

We previously reported that female mice exhibit protection against chemically induced pulmonary fibrosis and suggested a potential role of estrogen. Phytoestrogens act, at least in part, via stimulation of estrogen receptors; furthermore, compared to residents of Western countries, residents of East Asian countries consume higher amounts of phytoestrogens and exhibit lower rates of pulmonary fibrosis. Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that dietary phytoestrogens ameliorate the severity of experimentally induced pulmonary fibrosis. Male mice placed on either regular soybean diet or phytoestrogen-free diet were instilled with 0.1 N HCl to provoke pulmonary fibrosis. Thirty days later, lung mechanics were measured as indices of lung function and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and lung tissue were analyzed for biomarkers of fibrosis. Mice on phytoestrogen-free diet demonstrated increased mortality and stronger signs of chronic lung injury and pulmonary fibrosis, as reflected in the expression of collagen, extracellular matrix deposition, histology, and lung mechanics, compared to mice on regular diet. We conclude that dietary phytoestrogens play an important role in the pathogenesis of pulmonary fibrosis and suggest that phytoestrogens (e.g., genistein) may be useful as part of a therapeutic regimen against hydrochloric acid-induced lung fibrosis and chronic lung dysfunction.