Ameliorative effects of avocado oil on bleomycin-induced lung fibrosis and oxidative stress in rats

Pulmonary fibrosis (PF), is a chronic interstitial lung disease, characterized by changes in the alveoli, excessive accumulation of extracellular matrix, persistent inflammation, and oxidative stress. In this study, we aimed to explore the therapeutic effects of avocado oil (Ao) on bleomycin (BLM)-induced PF. Four this, 24 male rats were divided into four groups (n = 6): the first group served as a control, the second served as a fibrotic group, instilled intratracheally only with BLM (2 mg/kg bw), and the remaining groups were treated by gastric gavage with Ao at different doses (3.5 and 5 mL/kg bw) for 25 days after BLM instillation. The fibrosis induction revealed significant alterations, including increased lipid peroxidation and decreased antioxidant enzyme activities such as superoxyde dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT), level of thiols group coupled with a high fibrosis score (FS) and an inflammatory index (II), along with excessive collagen deposition in the pulmonary interstitium. Ao treatment reversed all disturbances induced by BLM in oxidative stress parameters and relatively repairs the histological damage caused by BLM by reducing the FS and the II. The antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrosis power of Ao, may suggest this last as a promising candidate for the treatment of PF.