Effects of a palmitic acid and fructose-rich diet on lung fibrosis and inflammation markers in aged mice

Abstract

[eng] Palmitic acid- and fructose-rich (PAF) diet could exert proinflammatory and profibrotic effects on aged mice. Bleomycin-induced lung injury could be exacerbated by PAF diet. PAF diet might contribute to proinflammatory and profibrotic lung reprogramming due to palmitic acid effect on lipid lung metabolism and TLR4 interaction and/or insulin resistance induced by fructose overload. Bleomycin-treated aged Swiss CD-1 mice showed increased extracellular matrix protein mRNA expression (Col1a1, Fn1) and PAF-fed bleomycin-treated mice showed higher overall expression levels. Untreated aged mice showed increased Fn1 expression and higher lymphocyte infiltration in airways in comparison with adult mice. Chronic exposure to PAF diet on adult, and specially aged mice, led to a proinflammatory lung state characterised by Il6 upregulation and cellular infiltration in airways and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. To conclude, PAF diet exacerbates BLM-induced lung injury in aged mice and long-term exposure exerts a proinflammatory effect in lungs per se.