The Effects of Honey on Inflammatory Cells in Cigarette Smoke Affected Lungs in Rats: A Preliminary Study

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a global significant health-delinquent. Inflammatory changes signify a clear indication in the early pathological changes of the airway in this disease and cigarette smoking is the most common risk factor. The ultimate goal in COPD is prevention. Recently, honey has been shown to have significant therapeutic possessions. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of honey on the inflammatory process in small airways of rats exposed to cigarette smoke. Twenty-three male rats between 8–9 weeks old were randomly divided into 3 groups. The first group was exposed daily to cigarette smoke alone using smoking apparatus. The second group was exposed to smoke and given oral honey at 1.2gm/kg body weight daily and the third group was assigned as control. The rats were sacrificed after four weeks of exposure and the lung tissues were processed accordingly. The sections were immunohistochemical stained with anti-CD68 and anti-CD8 for macrophages and CD8+ T lymphocytes counts. There was a significant reduction in the number of macrophages in the group exposed to cigarette smoke with honey compared to smoke exposure alone (z=-2.52, p= 0.012). However there was no significant reduction in the number of CD8+ T lymphocytes counts between the two groups (z=-0.40, p=0.690). Current study found honey has a prospective effect in reducing the macrophage recruitment in airways following inflammatory response due to cigarette smoke inhalations.