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Possible treatment with medicinal herbs and their ingredients of lung disorders induced by sulfur mustard exposures: a review

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Abstract

Chemical warfare (CW) agents are toxic synthetic chemicals that affect human’s health, and sulfur mustard (SM) is a well-known chemical weapon that caused deaths of victims. The lung is the main target of SM exposure, and there are no definitive therapeutic modalities for lung injury induced by this agent. The possible therapeutic effects of medicinal plants and their active ingredients on lung injury induced by SM were reviewed in this article until the end of June 2021. Medicinal plants including Crocus sativus, Curcuma longa, Thymus vulgaris, Nigella sativa, and Zataria multiflora and also natural compounds showed therapeutic potential in improving of various features of lung injury induced by SM and other related chemical agents. Several studies showed therapeutic effects of some medicinal plants and natural products on lung inflammation, oxidative stress, and immune responses in experimental studies in SM-induced lung injury. In addition, clinical studies also showed the effect of medicinal plants and natural compounds on respiratory symptoms, pulmonary function tests (PFTs), and inflammatory markers. The therapeutic effects of medicinal plants and natural products on lung disorder induced by SM and related chemical agents were shown through amelioration of various features of lung injury.

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Abbreviations

Ach:

acetylcholine

AHR:

Airway hyperresponsiveness

BALF:

bronchoalveolar lavage fluid

CAT:

catalase

CGRP:

calcitonin gene-related peptide

COPD:

chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

CW:

chemical warfare

DLQI:

dermatology life quality index

DOX:

doxycycline

EPO:

peroxidase

FDA:

Food and Drug Administration

FEV1 :

forced expiratory volume in the first second

FVC:

forced vital capacity

GSH:

glutathione

HDAC:

histone deacetylase complex

hPBMCs:

human peripheral blood mononuclear cells

HRQoL:

health-related quality of life

hs-CRP:

high-sensitivity C-reactive protein

IFNγ:

interferon-gamma

Ig:

immunoglobulin

IL:

interleukin

iNOS:

induced nitric oxide synthase

IPF:

idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

LPS:

lipopolysaccharide

LTC4 :

leukotriene C4

MCHC:

mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration

MCP-1:

monocyte chemotactic protein-1

MCV:

mean corpuscular volume

MDA:

malondialdehyde

mMCP-1:

mouse mast cell protease-1

MMEF:

maximum mid-expiratory flow

MMPs:

matrix metalloproteinase

NAC:

N-acetylcysteine

NFkB:

nuclear transcription factor

NK cells:

natural killer cells

NO:

oxide production

OVA:

ovalbumin

PaCO2 :

arterial blood carbon dioxide

PE:

pulmonary embolism

PEF:

peak expiratory flow

PFT:

pulmonary function tests

PQ:

paraquat

QoL:

quality of life

ROS:

reactive oxygen species

SaO2 :

arterial blood oxygenation saturation

SIL-BS:

silibinin-bis-succinat

SM:

sulfur mustard

SOD:

superoxide dismutase

TAT:

thrombin-antithrombin

TFPI:

tissue factor pathway inhibitor

TGF-β1:

transforming growth factor beta1

TNFα:

tumor necrosis factor-α

tPA:

tissue plasminogen activator

TR:

tracheal responsiveness

TSM:

tracheal smooth muscle

UV:

ultraviolet

WBC:

white blood cells

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cardiovascular Diseases Research Center, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran

    Mohammad Reza Khazdair

  2. Applied Biomedical Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran

    Mohammad Hossein Boskabady

  3. Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran

    Mohammad Hossein Boskabady

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  1. Mohammad Reza Khazdair
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M.R.K: helped in the design of the study, prepared and revised the manuscript. M.H.B: designed the study, critically edited and revised the manuscript.

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Khazdair, M.R., Boskabady, M.H. Possible treatment with medicinal herbs and their ingredients of lung disorders induced by sulfur mustard exposures: a review. Environ Sci Pollut Res 28, 54191–54208 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-15697-2

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