University of Melbourne-led research has revealed the flavonoid pinocembrin, originated from Australian eucalyptus trees, has strong anti-inflammatory residential or commercial properties and might be effective and safe at dealing with lung fibrosis in sheep, a large animal model for human lung illness.
Pinocembrin, a flavonoid found in a number of various kind of trees consisting of pine trees and eucalyptus, has been reported to have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, and anti-cancer residential or commercial properties.
Scientists from the University of Melbourne, Monash University, Swinburne University of Technology, and industry partner Gretals Australia, set out to test the anti-fibrosis and anti-inflammatory properties of pinocembrin in 10 sheep, to see whether the substance could be efficient at treating lung fibrosis.
In the study, published recently in PLOS One, the fibrosis was induced in 2 localized lung sections in each of the sheep. One of the segments was treated with 7mg of pinocembrin when weekly for four weeks, while the other segment was left neglected.
Co-lead author on the study, Dr. Habamu Derseh, from the Melbourne Veterinary School in the Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences at the University of Melbourne stated the outcomes were “striking.”.
” We discovered that pinocembrin improved lung function, attenuated lung inflammation, and reduced total pathology ratings compared to harmed lungs that were without treatment,” Dr. Derseh said.
” We saw striking anti-inflammatory effects and modest anti-fibrotic remodeling after 4 weeks of administering pinocembrin.”.
Researchers set out to check the anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrosis properties of pinocembrin, found in eucalyptus trees. Credit: Bek OGorman.
Co-lead author Professor Ken Snibson, likewise from the Melbourne Veterinary School, discussed there was a 50 percent decrease in specific inflammatory cells in the lungs.
” In lung fluid samples, inflammatory cells called neutrophils dropped from 7.4 percent of overall cells to 3.7 percent in the pinocembrin-treated bleomycin-injured lung sections.”.
The chemical for this trial was isolated from the leaves of eucalyptus saplings at the University of Melbournes Dookie campus by Dr. Jason Goodger, from the School of BioSciences at the University of Melbourne.
Gretals Australia CEO and study co-author Alistair Cumming said this was a Victorian biotechnology success story in the making, enabled thanks to the collective expertise of forestry experts, plant biochemists, and medical researchers dealing with industry and with federal government support.
” This started with an ARC Linkage Grant in between Gretals Australia and Professor Ian Woodrow (School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences) and Dr. Goodger to determine and isolate pinocembrin from native eucalyptus trees, and now we have actually advanced to the phase where we are preparing for human trials in 2022,” Mr. Cumming stated.
In people, pulmonary fibrosis involves scarring and thickening of lung tissue with lung hair transplant the just recognized treatment.
Referral: “The efficacy and security of pinocembrin in a sheep model of bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis” by Habtamu B. Derseh, Jason Q. D. Goodger, Jean-Pierre Y. Scheerlinck, Chrishan S. Samuel, Ian E. Woodrow, Enzo A. Palombo, Alistair Cumming and Ken Snibson, 2 December 2021, PLOS One.DOI: 10.1371/ journal.pone.0260719.
