Cromolyn Sodium Attenuates Paraquat-Induced Lung Injury by Modulation of Proinflammatory Cytokines

The current study aimed to investigate the effects of Cromolyn Sodium (CS) on proinflammatory cytokines in Paraquat (PQ)-induced lung damage in rat. Animals were randomly divided into 5 groups. Group 1 and 2 received nebulized vehicle and CS (8 mg/kg) for 3 consecutive weeks, respectively. Group 3 was treated with single oral dose of PQ (40 mg/kg). Groups 4 and 5 were PQ groups which received nebulized CS (6 and 8 mg/kg/day, respectively) from 1 week before to 2 weeks after PQ administration. Finally, the animals were scarified and the changes of hydroxyproline (HP) and histology were evaluated in lung tissue. In addition, IL-1β, TNF-α and IL-8 levels were determined in serum samples. The results showed that lung HP level as well as IL-1β, TNF-α and IL-8 were significantly lower in the CS treated rats as compared to PQ group. The best response, however, was observed with the 8 mg/kg of CS as confirmed by histology findings. This study suggests that CS may prevent progression of PQ-induced lung damage by decreasing of inflammatory cytokines.