According to Pulmonary Fibrosis News, a study with mice showed that a certain compound found in plants, parthenolide, is associated with a sizable reduction in lung fibrosis and the subsequent inflammatory responses. According to the research, this plant could offer more insight into idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) as well as potential therapies.
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is the hardening of lung tissue from a currently unknown cause.
The hardening of this lung tissue makes it hard for oxygen to enter the bloodstream. As a result, common symptoms of IPF include shortness of breath and a dry, hacking cough that doesn’t go away. These symptoms develop over time and can make it even harder for doctors to make a diagnosis. IPF doesn’t just strictly affect the lungs. The condition has far-reaching side effects, including effects on the stomach, hands, and feet. An IPF diagnosis usually comes with a life expectancy of around 3-5 years. To learn more about IPF, click here.
The study helped researchers learn more about the mechanisms and chemistry behind parthenolide and additionally allowed them to understand more about lung fibrosis and its possible treatments.
Researchers have known that a potential way to treat pulmonary fibrosis is to target a process called epithelial-mesenchymal transition, also known as EMT, or nuclear factor kappa-B, which is a protein that is involved in and related to EMT. These two factors are known to activate the fibroblasts that lead to scarring as well as induce inflammatory molecules that worsen the progression of the fibrosis.
Scientists found that parthenolide had anti-inflammatory as well as anti-tumor properties, and that the plant compound also worked to suppress nuclear factor kappa-B. They went on to investigate the effect of partenolide on mouse models of human IPF.
In these mouse models, they found that mice treated with the parthenolide showed reduced lung fibrosis as well as improved respiratory function compared to those mice that were not treated. In addition to this data, researchers found that the treated mice also showed reduced EMT-related and inflammatory molecules.
The research team determined that parthenolide treatment was related to reduced levels of nuclear factor kappa-B, which implies that the plant compound could possibly lead to reduced inflammatory responses of IPF.
The researchers concluded that their work proved parthenolide is a “worthwhile candidate compound for pulmonary fibrosis therapy.”
To read more about this study, click here.
