INVESTIGATION OF THE PROTECTIVE EFFECT OF SMYRNIUM CONNATUM BOISS. & KOTSCHY AGAINST LPS-INDUCED ACUTE LUNG INJURY IN RATS

The International Conference on Herbs and Spices (ICHS-2026), Rimini, İtalya, 21 - 23 Nisan 2025, ss.23, (Özet Bildiri)

The genus Smyrnium (Apiaceae) was reported to be represented by 38 species worldwide and 7

species in Türkiye. Some species of the genus Smyrnium have been traditionally used as food in

Türkiye. It was documented that the roots of Smyrnium connatum Boiss. & Kotschy were

consumed as food, while its fresh aerial parts were used against asthma and dyspnea as well as in

the treatment of infertility and diabetes (Demirci et al., 2014; Güneş et al., 2018; Ayaz et al., 2022).

In the present study, based on its ethnobotanical use in respiratory disorders, the protective effect

of S. connatum against lung injury was investigated in a lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute

lung injury model. For this purpose, an aqueous-methanolic extract of S. connatum was

administered to experimental animals at three different doses (100, 200, and 400 mg/kg) prior to

the induction of LPS-induced acute lung injury. Dexamethasone (1.5 mg/kg) was used as a

reference drug. Following the experiment, rats were sacrificed, and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid

and lung tissues were collected. Routine histopathological, immunohistochemical, and

biochemical analyses were performed on these samples. The results demonstrated that the group

treated with the 200 mg/kg extract showed the most pronounced improvement. Specifically, the

lung wet-to-dry weight ratio (5.39±0.81; p<0.001), an indicator of edema, as well as the levels of

IL-1β (52.04±6.346; p<0.01) and IL-6 (21.96±2.006; p<0.001), were significantly reduced

compared to the control group, indicating a marked therapeutic effect. The mentioned group also

exhibited a statistically significant reduction in the histopathological score (6.92±0.37; p<0,05)

compared to the control group. As no previous study had investigated Smyrnium species for this

specific purpose, this study provided the first evaluation of the ethnobotanical use of S. connatum

in respiratory diseases and contributed to the elucidation of its possible mechanism of action. The

findings obtained were considered to provide a basis for further studies.