anti-inflammatory effects of ziziphus jujube mill on lps-induced acute lung injury in mice

Ziziphus jujuba mill (z.j) is a well-known ethnomedical source of biologically active compounds with anti-inflammatory effects. however, its significance in acute lung injury (ali) has never been studied. the present study aimed to explore whether z.j could attenuate lipopolysaccharide (lps)-induced inflammatory responses in an experimental model of ali. male balb/c mice received an intratracheal administration of lps (n=32) or phosphate buffer saline (pbs) (control, n=8). within 1, 11, and 23 h post-lps injection, mice were randomly assigned to receive intraperitoneal treatments of saline, dexamethasone (2 mg/kg), and 100 and 200 mg/kg of z.j extracts, respectively. 24 h after intratracheal administration of lps, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and lung tissues were harvested and assessed for inflammatory cell influx, tumor necrosis factor-α (tnf-α) levels, and histological assessments. treatment with z.j extracts (100 and 200 mg/kg) and dexamethasone effectively reduced lps-induced neutrophil and other inflammatory cell influx into the lung tissue compared to the untreated group. additionally, both doses of z.j extracts (100 and 200 mg/kg) significantly ameliorated the lung wet-to-dry ratio and histopathological damage. furthermore, compared to the untreated ali mice, z.j extract at the highest dose could significantly reduce the tnf-α level. the present findings indicated that z.j could effectively ameliorate lps-induced ali inflammatory responses and might be considered a promising alternative therapy for the ali phenotype.