Acetate, a gut bacterial product, ameliorates ischemia-reperfusion induced acute lung injury in rats.

Recent data suggest that short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), the major fermentation product from gut microbial degradation of dietary fiber, have protective effects against renal ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury, colitis, and allergic asthma. However, the effect of SCFAs on acute lung injury (ALI) caused by IR is still unclear. In this study, we examine whether SCFAs have protective effects against IR-induced ALI and explore possible protective mechanisms. IR-induced ALI was established by 40 min ischemia followed by 60 min reperfusion in isolated perfused rat lungs. Rats were randomly assigned to one of six groups: control, control + acetate (400 mg/kg), IR, and IR + acetate at one of three dosages (100, 200, 400 mg/kg). Bronchoalveolar lavage fluids (BALF) and lung tissues were obtained and analyzed at the end of the experiment. In vitro, mouse lung epithelial cells (MLE-12) subjected to hypoxia-reoxygenation (HR) were pretreated with acetate (25 mmol/L) and GPR41 or GPR43 siRNA. Acetate decreased lung weight gain, lung weight/body weight ratios, wet/dry weight ratios, pulmonary artery pressure, and protein concentration of the BALF in a dose-dependent manner for IR-induced ALI. Acetate also significantly inhibited the production of TNF-α, IL-6 and CINC-1 in the BALF. Moreover, acetate treatment restored suppressed IκB-α levels and reduced nuclear NF-κB p65 levels in lung tissues. In addition, acetate mitigated IR-induced apoptosis and tight junction disruption in injured lung tissue. In vitro analyses showed that acetate attenuated NF-κB activation and KC/CXCL-1 levels in MLE-12 cells exposed to HR. The protective effects of acetate in vitro were significantly abrogated by GPR41 or GPR43 siRNA. Acetate ameliorates IR-induced acute lung inflammation and its protective mechanism appears to be via the GPR41/43 signaling pathway. Based on our findings, acetate may provide a novel adjuvant therapeutic approach for IR-induced lung injury.

PG490-88, a derivative of triptolide, suppresses ischemia/reperfusion-induced lung damage by maintaining tight junction barriers and targeting multiple signaling pathways.

Previous studies demonstrated that triptolide (PG490) has many anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive effects. However, little is known about the effect of PG490-88 (a water-soluble derivative of triptolide) on ischemia/reperfusion (I/R)-induced acute lung injury. We assessed the effects of PG490-88 on I/R-induced acute lung injury in rats and on hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) in a line of murine epithelial cells. Isolated perfused rat lungs were subjected to 40 min of ischemia, followed by 60 min of reperfusion to induce I/R injury. Induction of I/R led to lung edema, elevated pulmonary arterial pressure, histological evidence of lung inflammation, oxidative stress, and increased levels of TNF-α and CINC-1 in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. PG490-88 significantly suppressed all of these responses. Additionally, induction of I/R reduced the expression of claudin-4, occludin, and ZO-1, and increased apoptosis in lung tissue. PG490-88 also significantly suppressed these effects. I/R reduced the levels of IκB-α and MKP-1, and increased the levels of nuclear NF-κB and mitogen-activated protein kinase in lung tissue, and PG490-88 suppressed these effects. In vitro studies using mouse lung alveolar epithelial cells indicated that H/R increased the levels of phosphorylated p65 and MIP-2, but decreased the level of IκB-α. PG490-88 also suppressed these effects. In I/R damaged lungs, PG490-88 suppresses the inflammatory response, disruption of tight junction structure, and apoptosis. PG490-88 has the potential as a prophylactic agent to prevent I/R-induced lung injury.

Targeting F-Box Protein Fbxo3 Attenuates Lung Injury Induced by Ischemia-Reperfusion in Rats.

Background: Increasing evidence suggests that Fbxo3 signaling has an important impact on the pathophysiology of the inflammatory process. Fbxo3 protein inhibition has reduced cytokine-driven inflammation and improved disease severity in animal model of Pseudomonas-induced lung injury. However, it remains unclear whether inhibition of Fbxo3 protein provides protection in acute lung injury induced by ischemia-reperfusion (I/R). In this study, we investigated the protective effects of BC-1215 administration, a Fbxo3 inhibitor, on acute lung injury induced by I/R in rats. Methods: Lung I/R injury was induced by ischemia (40 min) followed by reperfusion (60 min). The rats were randomly assigned into one of six experimental groups (n = 6 rats/group): the control group, control + BC-1215 (Fbxo3 inhibitor, 0.5 mg/kg) group, I/R group, or I/R + BC-1215 (0.1, 0.25, 0.5 mg/kg) groups. The effects of BC-1215 on human alveolar epithelial cells subjected to hypoxia-reoxygenation (H/R) were also examined. Results: BC-1215 significantly attenuated I/R-induced lung edema, indicated by a reduced vascular filtration coefficient, wet/dry weight ratio, lung injury scores, and protein levels in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). Oxidative stress and the level of inflammatory cytokines in BALF were also significantly reduced following administration of BC-1215. Additionally, BC-1215 mitigated I/R-stimulated apoptosis, NF-κB, and mitogen-activated protein kinase activation in the injured lung tissue. BC-1215 increased Fbxl2 protein expression and suppressed Fbxo3 and TNFR associated factor (TRAF)1-6 protein expression. BC-1215 also inhibited IL-8 production and NF-κB activation in vitro in experiments with alveolar epithelial cells exposed to H/R. Conclusions: Our findings demonstrated that Fbxo3 inhibition may represent a novel therapeutic approach for I/R-induced lung injury, with beneficial effects due to destabilizing TRAF proteins.