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Background: Cigarette smoke (CS) is one of the primary causes of acute lung injury (ALI) via provoking pulmonary inflammation and oxidative stress. Despite substantial studies, no effective treatment for ALI is presently available.

Purpose: New prospective treatment options for ALI are required. Thus, this project was designed to investigate the in vivo and in vitro protective effects of 70 % methanolic-aqueous crude extract of whole plant of Cichorium intybus (Ci.Mce) against CS-induced ALI.

Study design: /methods: Initially, male Swiss albino mice were subjected to whole-body CS exposure for 10 continuous days to prepare CS-induced ALI models. Normal saline (10 mL/kg), Ci.Mce (100, 200, 300 mg/kg), and Dexamethasone (1 mg/kg) were orally administered to respective animal groups 1 h prior to CS-exposure. 24 hrs after the last CS-exposure, BALF and lungs were harvested to study the key characteristics of ALI. Next, HPLC analysis was done to explore the phytoconstituents.

Results: Ci.Mce exhibited significant reductions in lung macrophage and neutrophil infiltration, lung weight coefficient, and albumin exudation. Additionally, it effectively ameliorated lung histopathological alterations and hypoxemia. Notably, Ci.Mce exerted inhibitory effects on the excessive generation of IL-6, IL-1β, and KC in both CS-induced ALI murine models and CSE-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages. Noteworthy benefits included the attenuation of oxidative stress induced by CS, evidenced by decreased levels of MDA, TOS, and MPO, alongside enhanced TAC production. Furthermore, Ci.Mce demonstrated a marked reduction in CS-induced NF-κB expression, both in vivo and in vitro.

Conclusion: Consequently, Cichorium intybus could be a therapeutic option for CS-induced ALI due to its ability to suppress inflammatory reactions, mitigate oxidative stress, and quell NF-κB p65 activation.