Effets pharmacologiques pulmonaires des flavonoïdes : caractérisation in vitro des effets de la quercétine et de la génistéine

Abstract

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a major global health problem. In the present study we have investigated, in vitro, the pharmacological pulmonary effects of quercetin and genistein. In an acellular assay, quercetin exerted a strong scavenger effect on HOCl. Using human pulmonary parenchyma stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS), quercetin and genistein showed an effective inhibition of TNF-α, IL-8 and MIP-β release. On human bronchus precontracted, quercetin and genistein were able to cause a potent relaxation. Although, the molecular mechanism of their biological effects remains to be clarified, our data suggest that quercetin and genistein may contribute to preventive and cure effects on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Key words: quercetin, genistein, scavenger, relaxant effects, anti-inflammatory effects, HOCl, human parenchyma and bronchus.