Authors
Ahmed G Abd Elhameed, Eman H Yousef, Muhammed M Salahuddin, Mostafa M Bahaa, Amal Abdullah Alrashidi, Mohamad A El-Gammal
Published in
Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's archives of pharmacology. Jul 29, 2026. Epub Jul 29, 2026.
Abstract
Amiodarone-induced pulmonary fibrosis (AIPF) is characterized by inflammation, oxidative stress, microRNA dysregulation, fibroblast activation, and excessive extracellular matrix deposition. Norcantharidin (NCTD), a small-molecule compound with reported anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antifibrotic properties, has attracted attention as a potential therapeutic agent. To investigate the protective effects of NCTD against AIPF in rats. Eighteen rats were randomly divided into three groups (n = 6 each): a negative control group receiving vehicle, an amiodarone group, and an NCTD-treated group receiving 0.1 mg/kg intraperitoneally for six weeks. Pulmonary fibrosis was induced by oral administration of 50 mg/kg amiodarone for five weeks. Lung injury was assessed using hematoxylin and eosin staining and semi-quantitative scoring, collagen deposition was evaluated by Masson's trichrome staining, and immunohistochemistry was performed for fibronectin and α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA). Molecular and biochemical markers including tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, β-catenin, interleukin (IL)-1β, malondialdehyde (MDA), and glutathione (GSH) were measured, while glycogen synthase kinase (GSK)-3β was assessed by Western blot, and miRNA-30a by quantitative PCR. Amiodarone significantly increased lung injury scores, collagen deposition, α-SMA, fibronectin, TNF-α, IL-1β, MDA, GSK-3β, and β-catenin, while reducing GSH and miRNA-30a levels. NCTD treatment markedly reversed these alterations, restoring α-SMA, fibronectin, TNF-α, IL-1β, MDA, GSK-3β, and β-catenin, while increasing GSH and miRNA-30a toward normal. Histologically, NCTD preserved alveolar architecture, reduced peribronchiolar inflammation, and normalized collagen distribution. These results demonstrate that NCTD exerts potent antifibrotic, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant effects in AIPF, likely through modulation of oxidative stress, inflammatory cytokines, microRNA expression, and the GSK-3β/β-catenin signaling pathway, highlighting its potential as a therapeutic agent for drug-induced lung injury.
PMID:
42525297
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 29 Jul 2026.
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