Changes in lung function in adolescents with substance use disorders: an exploratory study.

OBJECTIVE: To compare lung function between adolescents with and without substance use disorder (SUD). METHODS: This was an observational, cross-sectional exploratory study. The sample consisted of 16 adolescents with SUD and 24 age-matched healthy controls. The adolescents in the clinical group were recruited from a psychiatric inpatient unit for detoxification and rehabilitation; their primary diagnosis was SUD related to marijuana, cocaine, or polysubstance use. Questionnaires and pulmonary function tests were applied for clinical evaluation. RESULTS: We found that FVC, FEV1, and their percentages of the predicted values were significantly lower in the adolescents with SUD than in those without. Those differences remained significant after adjustment for BMI and the effects of high levels of physical activity. The largest effect size (Cohen's d = 1.82) was found for FVC as a percentage of the predicted value (FVC%), which was, on average, 17.95% lower in the SUD group. In addition, the years of regular use of smoked substances (tobacco, marijuana, and crack cocaine) correlated negatively with the FVC%. CONCLUSIONS: This exploratory study is innovative in that it demonstrates the early consequences of smoked substance use for the lung health of adolescents with SUD.

Simvastatin attenuates inflammatory process on LPS-induced acute lung injury in mice.

Acute lung injury (ALI) is a disease of high prevalence and is characterized by the excessive production of inflammatory mediators in the lungs of people sick. Inflammation is the major characteristic of ALI and studies report that inhibition of inflammatory cytokines could be an alternative treatment. Statins such as Simvastatin (SV) are known to their use for cholesterol reduction but also for inflammatory and immunoregulatory processes. In this study, we evaluated the effects of SV on LPS-induced alveolar macrophages and in ALI mice model. Our study has demonstrated the protective effects of SV on LPS-activated alveolar macrophages RAW 264.7 and LPS-induced ALI in mice. SV treatment significantly inhibited the alveolar macrophages activation by decreasing the iNOS, IL-1ß, and IL-6 gene expression in vitro and in vivo. The treatment also decreased the inflammatory cells migration and the cytokines gene expression. Our findings suggest that SV can act as an anti-inflammatory agent for acute lung injury.

Changes in lung function in adolescents with substance use disorders: an exploratory study / Alterações da função pulmonar em adolescentes com transtornos relacionados ao uso de substâncias: estudo exploratório

ABSTRACT Objective: To compare lung function between adolescents with and without substance use disorder (SUD). Methods: This was an observational, cross-sectional exploratory study. The sample consisted of 16 adolescents with SUD and 24 age-matched healthy controls. The adolescents in the clinical group were recruited from a psychiatric inpatient unit for detoxification and rehabilitation; their primary diagnosis was SUD related to marijuana, cocaine, or polysubstance use. Questionnaires and pulmonary function tests were applied for clinical evaluation. Results: We found that FVC, FEV1, and their percentages of the predicted values were significantly lower in the adolescents with SUD than in those without. Those differences remained significant after adjustment for BMI and the effects of high levels of physical activity. The largest effect size (Cohen's d = 1.82) was found for FVC as a percentage of the predicted value (FVC%), which was, on average, 17.95% lower in the SUD group. In addition, the years of regular use of smoked substances (tobacco, marijuana, and crack cocaine) correlated negatively with the FVC%. Conclusions: This exploratory study is innovative in that it demonstrates the early consequences of smoked substance use for the lung health of adolescents with SUD.

RESUMO Objetivo: Comparar a função pulmonar de adolescentes com e sem transtornos relacionados ao uso de substâncias (TUS). Métodos: Trata-se de um estudo exploratório transversal observacional. A amostra foi composta por 16 adolescentes com TUS e 24 controles saudáveis emparelhados pela idade. Os adolescentes do grupo clínico foram recrutados em uma unidade de internação psiquiátrica para desintoxicação e reabilitação; seu diagnóstico primário era o de TUS (maconha, cocaína ou polissubstâncias). Foram aplicados questionários e testes de função pulmonar para a avaliação clínica. Resultados: A CVF, o VEF1 e seus valores em porcentagem do previsto foram significativamente mais baixos nos adolescentes com TUS do que naqueles sem TUS. Essas diferenças permaneceram significativas após os ajustes para levar em conta o IMC e os efeitos de altos níveis de atividade física. O maior tamanho de efeito (d de Cohen = 1,82) foi o observado em relação à CVF em porcentagem do previsto (CVF%), que foi, em média, 17,95% menor no grupo TUS. Além disso, os anos de uso regular de substâncias fumadas (tabaco, maconha e crack) correlacionaram-se negativamente com a CVF%. Conclusões: Este estudo exploratório é inovador na medida em que demonstra as consequências precoces do uso de substâncias fumadas para a saúde pulmonar de adolescentes com TUS.

Neostigmine treatment induces neuroprotection against oxidative stress in cerebral cortex of asthmatic mice.

During chronic inflammatory disease, such asthma, leukocytes can invade the central nervous system (CNS) and together with CNS-resident cells, generate excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) production as well as disbalance in the antioxidant system, causing oxidative stress, which contributes a large part to neuroinflammation. In this sense, the aim of this study is to investigate the effects of treatment with neostigmine, known for the ability to control lung inflammation, on oxidative stress in the cerebral cortex of asthmatic mice. Female BALB/cJ mice were submitted to asthma model induced by ovalbumin (OVA). Control group received only Dulbecco's phosphate-buffered saline (DPBS). To evaluate neostigmine effects, mice received 80 µg/kg of neostigmine intraperitoneally 30 min after each OVA challenge. Our results revealed for the first time that treatment with neostigmine (an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor that no crosses the BBB) was able to revert ROS production and change anti-oxidant enzyme catalase in the cerebral cortex in asthmatic mice. These results support the communication between the peripheral immune system and the CNS and suggest that acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, such as neostigmine, should be further studied as possible therapeutic strategies for neuroprotection in asthma.

Anti-inflammatory effect of octyl gallate in alveolar macrophages cells and mice with acute lung injury.

Acute lung injury (ALI) is an inflammatory process, and has high incidence and mortality. ALI and the acute respiratory distress syndrome are two common complications worldwide that result in acute lung failure, sepsis, and death. Pro-inflammatory substances, such as cytokines and chemokines, are responsible for activating the body's defense mechanisms and usually mediate inflammatory processes. Therefore, the research of substances that decrease the uncontrolled response of organism is seen as potential for patients with ALI. Octyl gallate (OG) is a phenolic compound with therapeutic actions namely antimicrobial, antiviral, and antifungal. In this study, we evaluated its action on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated alveolar macrophages RAW 264.7 cells and ALI in male mice. Our results demonstrated protective effects of OG in alveolar macrophages activated with LPS and mice with ALI. The OG treatment significantly decreased the inflammatory markers in both studies in vitro and in vivo. The data suggested that OG can act as an anti-inflammatory agent for ALI.

Autophagy induces eosinophil extracellular traps formation and allergic airway inflammation in a murine asthma model.

Studies have shown autophagy participation in the immunopathology of inflammatory diseases. However, autophagy role in asthma and in eosinophil extracellular traps (EETs) release is poorly understood. Here, we attempted to investigate the autophagy involvement in EETs release and in lung inflammation in an experimental asthma model. Mice were sensitized with ovalbumin (OVA), followed by OVA challenge. Before the challenge with OVA, mice were treated with an autophagy inhibitor, 3-methyladenine (3-MA). We showed that 3-MA treatment decreases the number of eosinophils, eosinophil peroxidase (EPO) activity, goblet cells hyperplasia, proinflammatory cytokines, and nuclear factor kappa B (NFκB) p65 immunocontent in the lung. Moreover, 3-MA was able to improve oxidative stress, mitochondrial energy metabolism, and Na+ , K+ -ATPase activity. We demonstrated that treatment with autophagy inhibitor 3-MA reduced EETs formation in the airway. On the basis of our results, 3-MA treatment can be an interesting alternative for reducing lung inflammation, oxidative stress, mitochondrial damage, and EETs formation in asthma.

Cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway confers airway protection against oxidative damage and attenuates inflammation in an allergic asthma model.

Asthma is characterized by the influx of inflammatory cells, especially of eosinophils as well as reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, driven by the release of the T helper 2 (Th2)-cell-associated cytokines. The cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway (CAP) inhibit cytokines production and controls inflammation. Thus, we investigated the effects of pharmacological activation of CAP by neostigmine on oxidative stress and airway inflammation in an allergic asthma model. After the OVA challenge, mice were treated with neostigmine. We showed that CAP activation by neostigmine reduced the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-4, IL-5, IL-13, IL-1ß, and TNF-α), which resulted in a decrease of eosinophils influx. Furthermore, neostigmine also conferred airway protection against oxidative stress, attenuating ROS production through the increase of antioxidant defense, evidenced by the catalase (CAT) activity. We propose, for the first time, that pharmacological activation of the CAP can lead to new possibilities in the therapeutic management of allergic asthma.

Reactive oxygen species are involved in eosinophil extracellular traps release and in airway inflammation in asthma.

In asthma, there are high levels of inflammatory mediators, reactive oxygen species (ROS), and eosinophil extracellular traps (EETs) formation in airway. Here, we attempted to investigate the ROS involvement in EETs release and airway inflammation in OVA-challenged mice. Before the intranasal challenge with ovalbumin (OVA), animals were treated with two ROS inhibitors, N-acetylcysteine (NAC) or diphenyleneiodonium (DPI). We showed that NAC treatment reduced inflammatory cells in lung. DPI and NAC treatments reduced eosinophil peroxidase (EPO), goblet cells hyperplasia, proinflammatory cytokines, NFκB p65 immunocontent, and oxidative stress in lung. However, only the NAC treatment improved mitochondrial energy metabolism. Moreover, the treatments with DPI and NAC reduced EETs release in airway. This is the first study to show that ROS are needed for EETs formation in asthma. Based on our results, NAC and DPI treatments can be an interesting alternative for reducing airway inflammation, mitochondrial damage, and EETs release in asthma.