Ferulic Acid Alleviates Mycoplasma pneumoniaeinduced Pneumonia in Mice by Regulation of Inflammation and ERK/JNK/NF-κB Pathway

ABSTRACT

Background: Pneumonia is a serious respiratory illness that impacts the lungs, leading to inflammation and fluid accumulation in the alveoli, the tiny air sacs essential for gas exchange. Mycoplasma pneumonia is a severe respiratory infection caused by the atypical bacterium Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP). Objectives: The primary objective of this work is to explore the therapeutic effects of ferulic acid against MP-infected pneumonia in an experimental mice model. Materials and Methods: In this work, BALB/c mice were subjected to 100 µL of MP challenge via nasal drips to trigger pneumonia. The mice were then administered 50 mg/kg of ferulic acid for 3 days. After experimentation, the lung weight, myeloperoxidase (MPO), and nitric oxide (NO) concentrations in the experimental mice were assessed. The inflammatory cytokines and oxidative stress biomarkers were analyzed using appropriate diagnostic kits. The total cell count in the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) concentration in the lungs were assessed in the experimental mice. The histopathology examination of the lungs was conducted to evaluate the histological abnormalities. Results: The ferulic acid administration significantly decreased lung weight, MPO, and NO concentrations in MP-infected mice. Ferulic acid treatment resulted in a diminution of malondialdehyde (MDA) and an enhancement of glutathione (GSH) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) concentrations. The ferulic acid treatment significantly diminished the inflammatory marker concentrations in the MP-challenged mice. Furthermore, ferulic acid reduced the DNA content and total cell counts in the MP-infected mice. In addition, the outcomes of the histological examination indicated a significant reduction in alveolar damage in the mice with pneumonia. Conclusion: The findings of this work confirm the salutary properties of ferulic acid against MP-infected pneumonia in mice. Consequently, ferulic acid may serve as an effective therapeutic drug candidate for pneumonia treatment.

KEYWORDS

• Pulmonary inflammation
• pneumonia
• ferulic acid
• nitric oxide
• extracellular signal-regulated kinase/c-Jun N-terminal kinase pathway

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• DOI10.1177/09731296251330715Copy

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