Antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory pathways of Citrus limon juice in a respiratory-irritated rat model.

Introduction: juice (lemon juice, LJ) in ameliorating respiratory irritation in a model rat induced by surgical intratracheal instillation of glycolic acid. Methods: Rats were assigned to five groups. Groups (1 and 2): normal and negative control, respectively; Group (3): positive model group; Groups (4 and 5): treated groups that received 3 and 6 mL/kg/day LJ orally, respectively. At 3 weeks of the experiment, groups 2, 3, 4, and 5 underwent surgical intratracheal instillation with 0.2 mL/kg body weight saline for group 2 and 0.2 mL/kg body weight 5 % glycolic acid for groups 3, 4, and 5. Results: < 0.05). A high dose of LJ supplementation normalized TNF-α, IL-6, and CRP levels. Discussion: Consistent with the other data, histological examination of the lung and trachea showed only slight or no inflammatory lesions, with the effect most pronounced at the high dose. In conclusion, the bioactive constituents of LJ control oxidative stress and inflammation, enhance immune function, and, in a dose-dependent manner, ameliorate lung tissue irritation induced by surgical intratracheal instillation of glycolic acid.