D. Nowak et al., PROTECTIVE EFFECT OF AMBROXOL AGAINST HEAT-INDUCED AND HYDROGEN-PEROXIDE-INDUCED DAMAGE TO LUNG LIPIDS IN MICE, The European respiratory journal, 7(9), 1994, pp. 1629-1634
We wanted to determine whether ambroxol, a drug which stimulates the r
elease of surfactant by type II pneumocytes, can protect lung lipids f
rom peroxidative damage in mice. Animals were injected intraperitoneal
ly with ambroxol, 0.169 mmol.kg(-1) or 1 ml buffer once a day for thre
e consecutive days. Lipid peroxidation was then induced in lung homoge
nates either by means of heat, 50 degrees C, or H2O2, 10 mmol.l(-1). T
he lung homogenates from ambroxol-treated animals revealed decreased l
ipid peroxidation in response to both stimuli. The heat- and H2O2-indu
ced generation of conjugated dienes (a first lipid peroxidation produc
t) in ambroxol-treated lung homogenates was 3.7 and 3.1 fold lower tha
n in the lungs from buffer-injected mice. Ambroxol, as an inhibitor of
heat- and H2O2-induced lipid peroxidation, was equipotent to and stro
nger than the two antioxidants, N-acetylcysteine and methionine, respe
ctively. Ambroxol was not able to protect heart and liver lipids. Thes
e results suggest that ambroxol can sufficiently enhance the antioxida
nt defence in lung tissue and can act as a lung lipid antioxidant.