Introduction: Proper therapy of acute lung injury (ALI) is a major health challenge nowadays; it represents the most serious complication of COVID19 and the main cause of death. There are accumulating studies about the possible therapeutic effects of Allicin, the active ingredient of garlic, in many cases of respiratory diseases.
Aim of the Work: In the current study, we showed for the first time a novel route of administration of Allicin which markedly improves its therapeutic effects in induced animal model of ALI.
Material and Methods: Forty adult male albino rats were divided equally into control group, animal model group with cadmium inhalation for induction of ALI, recovery group left without treatment, and two treated group. Allicin was given as a treatment by two different routes, orally and through nebulizer inhalation in a dose of 200 mg/kg.
Results: Cadmium chloride (cdcl2) inhalation induced nearly the same histopathological changes in the animal lung tissue in the form of inflammation, congestion and vasculitis as that reported in covid-19 autopathic biopsy. Allicin markedly improved these deleterious effects through nebulizer inhalation; it induced significant lowering in IL-6, iNOS and malonaldehyde with significant increase in the number CD163 positive anti-inflammatory macrophage. Moreover, it stimulated type II pneumocyte regeneration and this detected by TrkB proliferation marker. The level of antioxidant reduced glutathione showed significant increase with allicin inhalation. Lung histological architecture markedly improved and nearly back to normal after allicin inhalation.
Conclusion: We concluded that allicin through nebulizer inhalation may be of great help in the management of critical cases with acute lung injury.