New insights of DsbA-L in the pathogenesis of metabolic diseases.

Metabolic diseases, such as obesity, diabetes mellitus, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), are abnormal conditions that result from disturbances of metabolism. With the improvement of living conditions, the morbidity and mortality rates of metabolic diseases are steadily rising, posing a significant threat to human health worldwide. Therefore, identifying novel effective targets for metabolic diseases is crucial. Accumulating evidence has indicated that disulfide bond A oxidoreductase-like protein (DsbA-L) delays the development of metabolic diseases. However, the underlying mechanisms of DsbA-L in metabolic diseases remain unclear. In this review, we will discuss the roles of DsbA-L in the pathogenesis of metabolic diseases, including obesity, diabetes mellitus, and NAFLD, and highlight the potential mechanisms. These findings suggest that DsbA-L might provide a novel therapeutic strategy for metabolic diseases.

Relationship between dietary live microbe intake and the prevalence of COPD in adults: a cross-sectional study of NHANES 2013-2018.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the potential association between dietary live microbes and the prevalence of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases (COPD). METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, data of 9791 participants aged 20 years or older in this study were collected from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) between 2013 and 2018. Participants in this study were classified into three groups according to the Sanders' dietary live microbe classification system: low, medium, and high dietary live microbe groups. COPD was defined by a combination of self-reported physician diagnoses and standardized medical status questionnaires. Logistic regression and subgroup analysis were used to assess whether dietary live microbes were associated with the risk of COPD. RESULTS: Through full adjustment for confounders, participants in the high dietary live microbe group had a low prevalence of COPD in contrast to those in low dietary live microbe group (OR: 0.614, 95% CI: 0.474-0.795, and p < 0.001), but no significant association with COPD was detected in the medium and the low dietary live microbe groups. This inverse relationship between dietary live microbe intake and COPD prevalence was more inclined to occur in smokers, females, participants aged from 40 to 59 years old and non-obese participants. CONCLUSION: A high dietary live microbe intake was associated with a low prevalence of COPD, and this negative correlation was detected especially in smokers, females, participants aged from 40 to 59 years old and non-obese participants.

SIRT1 as a Potential Therapeutic Target for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common, preventable, and treatable disease characterized by irreversible airflow obstruction and lung function decline. It is well established that COPD represents a major cause of morbidity and mortality globally. Due to the substantial economic and social burdens associated with COPD, it is necessary to discover new targets and develop novel beneficial therapies. Although the pathogenesis of COPD is complex and remains to be robustly elucidated, numerous studies have shown that oxidative stress, inflammatory responses, cell apoptosis, autophagy, and aging are involved in the pathogenesis of COPD. Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) is a nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+)-dependent deacetylase belonging to the silent information regulator 2 (Sir2) family. Multiple studies have indicated that SIRT1 plays an important role in oxidative stress, apoptosis, inflammation, autophagy, and cellular senescence, which contributes to the pathogenesis and development of COPD. This review aimed to discuss the functions and mechanisms of SIRT1 in the progression of COPD and concluded that SIRT1 activation might be a potential therapeutic strategy for COPD.

eIF3a R803K mutation mediates chemotherapy resistance by inducing cellular senescence in small cell lung cancer.

Drug resistance in small cell lung cancer (SCLC) significantly affects the efficacy of chemotherapy treatment. However, due to the lack of tumor tissue samples, especially serial tumor samples during chemotherapy, the mechanism of chemotherapy resistance has not been fully studied. Circulating tumor DNA, which can be obtained in a noninvasive manner, can complement tumor sampling approaches for research in this field. We identified an SCLC patient with acquired drug resistance from 52 SCLC patients for whom follow-up data were available. By comparing somatic mutations in circulating tumor DNA before and after chemotherapy, for the first time, we found that the somatic mutation eIF3A R803K may be related to acquired chemotherapy resistance. Then, the association between the eIF3A R803K mutation and chemotherapy resistance was confirmed by samples from 254 lung cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. We found that the eIF3a R803K mutation weakened the proliferation ability of tumor cells but increased their resistance to chemotherapy. Further studies revealed that the eIF3A R803K mutation promotes cellular senescence. In addition, fisetin showed a synergistic effect with chemotherapy in eIF3A R803K mutant cells. These results suggest that the eIF3A R803K somatic mutation has the potential to predict chemotherapy resistance in SCLC. Moreover, the eIF3A R803K mutation promotes chemotherapy resistance by inducing senescence. Furthermore, a senolytic drug, fisetin, can reverse chemotherapy resistance mediated by the eIF3A R803K mutation.

Neutrophil extracellular traps induced by cigarette smoke contribute to airway inflammation in mice.

Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) were initially identified as an important antimicrobial barrier to capture and kill microorganisms. Emerging evidence suggests that NETs play a crucial role in chronic airway inflammation induced by cigarette smoke (CS). However, how NETs form and the mechanisms by which NETs function in CS-related airway diseases are still unclear. To explore NET formation and its potential role in CS-related airway diseases, we first established a CS-induced subacute airway inflammation model in mice and verified NET formation in the airways. Moreover, NETs degradation by aerosolized DNase I treatment significantly inhibited the airway inflammation induced by CS in mice. More importantly, by in vitro experiments, we found that cigarette smoke extract (CSE) induces NET formation in an NADPH oxidase-dependent manner, and that macrophages and human bronchial epithelial cells (HBEs) are important targets for the NETs-induced secretion of inflammatory cytokines. Therefore, NETs may represent a critical link among neutrophils, macrophages and HBEs under chronic inflammation conditions induced by CS.

Role of reciprocal interaction between autophagy and endoplasmic reticulum stress in apoptosis of human bronchial epithelial cells induced by cigarette smoke extract.

Endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS)-induced apoptosis of airway epithelial cells plays an important role in the pathogenesis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Furthermore, autophagy is closely related to ERS under apoptosis. Here, this study aimed to investigate the role of the reciprocal interaction between autophagy and ERS in the cigarette smoke extract (CSE)-induced apoptosis of human bronchial epithelial (HBE) cells. Cell apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry analysis. Protein expression was examined by Western blot. The mRNA expression was detected using real-time quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR). The results showed that CSE treatment induced apoptosis, autophagy, and expression of ERS-related proteins in HBE cells. Furthermore, autophagy inhibition by 3-MA significantly decreased protein expression of GRP78, p-PERK, and p-eIF2α and increased CHOP, ATF4, and caspase-4, whereas ERS inhibition by 4-PBA led to autophagy suppression. Moreover, the CSE-induced autophagy was diminished by knockdown of GRP78, PERK, or eIF2α but enhanced by knockdown of ATF4 or CHOP; however, the CSE-induced HBE apoptosis was enhanced by knockdown of GRP78, PERK, or eIF2α but was attenuated by knockdown of ATF4 or CHOP. Additionally, both sodium hydrosulfide (NaHS) and melatonin attenuated the CSE-induced apoptosis, enhanced the CSE-induced autophagy, increased GRP78, p-PERK, and p-eIF2α, and decreased CHOP, ATF4, and caspase-4, via SIRT1/ORP150 pathway. Collectively, this study provided evidence about the role of the reciprocal interaction between autophagy and ERS in CSE-induced apoptosis of HBE cells. © 2018 IUBMB Life, 71(1):66-80, 2019.

Melatonin protects against COPD by attenuating apoptosis and endoplasmic reticulum stress via upregulating SIRT1 expression in rats.

The apoptosis of bronchial and alveolar epithelial cells plays a key role in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress induced by cigarette smoke contributes to apoptosis. Previous studies demonstrated that melatonin prevented the development of COPD. In addition, silent information regulator 1 (SIRT1) had a protective effect against COPD. However, it remains unclear whether SIRT1 is involved in the protection of melatonin against COPD. In this study, 32 male Wistar rats were randomly assigned to 4 groups: Control, COPD, COPD + Mel, and COPD + Mel + EX527. Rats were challenged with cigarette smoke and lipopolysaccharide with or without melatonin or EX527 (a selective inhibitor of SIRT1). The lung histopathology, apoptotic index, as well as the protein expressions of cleaved caspase-3, SIRT1, C/EBP homologous protein, and caspase-12 in the lung tissues were measured. These results demonstrated that melatonin attenuated apoptosis and ER stress in the lung tissues of rats with COPD. In addition, melatonin increased SIRT1 expression in lung tissues of rats with COPD, while inhibition of SIRT1 by EX527 upregulated ER stress and abolished the protective effect of melatonin against apoptosis. In conclusion, these findings suggested that melatonin protected against COPD by attenuating apoptosis and ER stress via upregulating SIRT1 expression in rats.

Association between carotenoids and the prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in the United States.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies mainly concentrated on examining the correlation between single carotenoids and Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, these findings have been inconsistent. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to evaluate both the individual and overall associations of carotenoids with the prevalence of COPD. METHODS: This study comprised 2,939 participants chosen from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2017-2018. The logistic regression, quantile-based G-computation regression (qgcomp), and Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) models were employed to explore the association between carotenoids and the prevalence of COPD. Mediation analyses were also conducted to explore the underlying mechanism of carotenoids on COPD. RESULTS: Individuals diagnosed with COPD had significantly lower serum carotenoid concentrations than those without COPD. We found a negative relationship between combined carotenoids and the prevalence of COPD, and lutein and zeaxanthin and alpha cryptoxanthin were identified as the main contributors to this negative association. Moreover, eosinophil acted as a mediator in the relationship between lutein and zeaxanthin, alpha cryptoxanthin, and the prevalence of COPD, with mediating proportions of 2.75 % and 3.67 %. CONCLUSION: A negative association was observed between combined carotenoids and COPD prevalence, with lutein and zeaxanthin, and alpha cryptoxanthin identified as the main contributors. Eosinophils could potentially mediate the association between carotenoids and COPD.

Association between manganese exposure in heavy metals mixtures and the prevalence of sarcopenia in US adults from NHANES 2011-2018.

Environmental pollution is identified as an essential risk factor for sarcopenia. However, the effect of manganese (Mn) exposure on the prevalence of sarcopenia is not assessed. Our study investigated the correlation between blood Mn concentration and sarcopenia risk in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 2011 to 2018. Three statistical methods were used to assess these correlations. Mediation analysis was performed to explore the role of inflammation in Mn exposure-induced sarcopenia. Of the 4957 individuals enrolled in this study, 398 (8 %) were diagnosed with sarcopenia. We found a positive association between the log10 Mn concentration and the prevalence of sarcopenia in the logistic regression model. Moreover, heavy metals mixtures were positively correlated with the prevalence of sarcopenia, with Mn identified as the main contributor to this association in the weighted quantile sum (WQS) and Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) models. Furthermore, inflammation mediated the relationship between Mn exposure and the prevalence of sarcopenia, explaining 7.29 % of the effect (odds ratio: 0.03, 0.19, P = 0.002). Thus, our study results revealed that excessive Mn exposure is a contributing factor for sarcopenia. More prospective studies are required to examine the association between Mn exposure and the prevalence of sarcopenia.

Effects of cigarette smoking on HDL quantity and function: implications for atherosclerosis.

Cigarette smoking has been identified as an independent and preventable risk factor for atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease. Population studies have shown that plasma high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels are inversely related to the risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Cigarette smoking is associated with reduced HDL cholesterol levels. Cigarette smoking can alter the critical enzymes of lipid transport, lowering lecithin: cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) activity and altering cholesterol ester transfer protein (CETP) and hepatic lipase activity, which attributes to its impact on HDL metabolism and HDL subfractions distribution. In addition, HDL is susceptible to oxidative modifications by cigarette smoking, which makes HDL become dysfunctional and lose its atheroprotective properties in smokers. Therefore, cigarette smoking has a negative impact on both HDL quantity and function, which can explain, in part, the increased risk of cardiovascular disease in smokers.

Association between serum phosphate and in-hospital mortality of patients with AECOPD: A retrospective analysis on eICU database.

Acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) is an important adverse event in the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Hyperphosphatemia is associated with higher mortality in patients with multiple diseases. In this study, we aimed to determine the relationship between serum phosphate and the risk of in-hospital mortality in patients with AECOPD. Methods: In the present study, patients with AECOPD were enrolled in the electronic Intensive Care Unit Collaborative Research Database (eICU-CRD), and divided into three groups according to the tertiles of serum phosphate level. The primary outcome measure was all-cause in-hospital mortality. The association between serum phosphate level and in-hospital mortality was investigated using multivariate logistic regression analysis. Moreover, subgroup analysis was performed to explore whether the relationship was consistent among different subgroups. Results: A total of 1199 AECOPD patients were included in this study. Non-survivors had higher serum phosphate levels than survivors. All patients were classified into lowest tertile, median tertile, and highest tertile, respectively. Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that serum phosphate was positively associated with in-hospital mortality after adjusting for confounders. Moreover, there was a significant trend across tertiles when serum phosphate level was diverted as a categorical variable. In addition, subgroup analysis demonstrated that serum phosphate was consistently associated with a higher risk of in-hospital mortality in different subgroups. Conclusion: Higher serum phosphate was positively associated with the increased in-hospital mortality in patients with AECOPD. Hyperphosphatemia may be an underlying high-risk factor for in-hospital mortality owing to AECOPD.

Association between ethylene oxide exposure and prevalence of COPD: Evidence from NHANES 2013-2016.

BACKGROUND: Environmental exposures are major risk factors for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Ethylene oxide (EO) is a ubiquitous organic compound and adversely affects human health. However, it remains unknown whether EO exposure increases the risk of COPD. This study aimed to explore the association between EO exposure and the prevalence of COPD. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 2243 participants were analyzed from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) between 2013 and 2016. Participants were classified into four groups according to quartiles of log10-transformed hemoglobin adducts of EO (HbEO) levels. HbEO levels were measured using the modified Edman reaction and high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS). Logistic regression, restricted cubic spline regression model, and subgroup analysis were used to assess whether EO exposure was associated with the risk of COPD. A multivariate linear regression model was used to investigate the correlation between HbEO levels and inflammatory factors. A mediating analysis was conducted to estimate whether inflammatory factors were involved in the effects of HbEO on the prevalence of COPD. RESULTS: Participants with COPD had higher HbEO levels than those without COPD. Log10-transformed HbEO levels were associated with an increased risk of COPD after adjusting for all covariates. [Q4 vs. Q1 in model II: OR = 2.15, 95 % CI: 1.20-3.85, P = 0.010, P for trend = 0.009]. Moreover, a nonlinear J-shaped relationship was observed between HbEO levels and the risk of COPD. Furthermore, HbEO levels were positively correlated with inflammatory cells. In addition, white blood cells and neutrophils mediated the relationship between HbEO and the prevalence of COPD with mediated proportions of 10.37 % and 7.55 %, respectively. CONCLUSION: These findings indicate that EO exposure has a J-shaped association with the risk of COPD. Inflammation is a key mediator involved in the effects of EO exposure on COPD.

PRKCD as a potential therapeutic target for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

BACKGROUND: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common respiratory disease characterized by progressive airflow limitation and abnormal lung function due to noxious particles and gases. Although many measures are available, COPD remains one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Therefore, there is an urgent need to discover novel potential therapeutic targets for COPD. Protein kinase C delta (PRKCD) is a member of thePKCfamily and possesses various biological properties. Recently, PRKCD has been reported to play an important role in the pathogenesis of COPD. However, the mechanisms of PRKCD on COPD are not fully elucidated. AIM: In this review, we will discuss the roles and mechanisms of PRKCD involved in the development of COPD. METHODS: We systematically summarized the studies on the research progress of PRKCD in COPD based on MEDLINE/PubMed databases. CONCLUSIONS: PRKCD contributes to the development of COPD by promoting inflammatory response, apoptosis, mitochondrial dysfunction and MUC5AC hypersecretion. These data provide evidence that PRKCD might be a potential therapeutic target for COPD.

Anlotinib plus platinum-etoposide as a first-line treatment for extensive-stage small cell lung cancer: A single-arm trial.

BACKGROUND: Anlotinib as a third-line or beyond therapy for extensive-stage small-cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC) was studied. This single-arm phase II trial was to investigate the value of anlotinib plus platinum-etoposide as first-line treatment in ES SCLC. METHODS: The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS) and objective response rate (ORR). The secondary endpoints included overall survival (OS), disease control rate (DCR), time to progression (TTP), duration of remission (DoR), and safety. The subgroups of preset liver metastasis and brain metastasis were analyzed. RESULTS: In 35 ES-SCLC patients, the median PFS, ORR, DCR, and OS were 8.02 months [95% confidence interval (CI): 6.90-9.66], 85.71% (95% CI: 69.74-95.19), 94.29% (95% CI: 80.84-99.30), and 15.87 months (95% CI: 10.38-18.89), respectively. The median PFS in the liver metastasis and brain metastasis subgroups was 7.33 months (95% CI: 4.76-9.69) and 7.34 months (95% CI: 5.68-9.20), respectively. The most common AEs with grade 3-4 were hand-foot syndrome (17%), granulocytosis (17%), stomatitis (14%), hypertriglyceridemia (11%), hypercholesterolemia (11%), as well as nausea and vomiting (11%), and no grade 5 AEs were recorded. CONCLUSIONS: Anlotinib combined with platinum-etoposide provided an effective and safe therapy for patients with ES-SCLC.

Effects of Glycolysis-Related Genes on Prognosis and the Tumor Microenvironment of Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common and deadly malignancy worldwide. Current treatment methods for hepatocellular carcinoma have many disadvantages; thus, it is urgent to improve the efficacy of these therapies. Glycolysis is critical in the occurrence and development of tumors. However, survival and prognosis biomarkers related to glycolysis in HCC patients remain to be fully identified. Methods: Glycolysis-related genes (GRGs) were downloaded from "The Molecular Signatures Database" (MSigDB), and the mRNA expression profiles and clinical information of HCC patients were obtained from TCGA. Consensus clustering was performed to classify the HCC patients into two subgroups. We used the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression analysis to construct the risk signature model. Kaplan-Meier (K-M) survival analysis was performed to evaluate the prognostic significance of the risk model, and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to evaluate the prediction accuracy. The independent prediction ability of the risk model was validated by univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses. The differences of immune infiltrates and relevant oncogenic signaling between different risk groups were compared. Finally, biological experiments were performed to explore the functions of screened genes. Results: HCC patients were classified into two subgroups, according to the expression of prognostic-related GRGs. Almost all GRGs categorized in cluster 2 showed upregulated expressions, whereas GRGs in cluster 1 conferred survival advantages. GSEA identified a positive correlation between cluster 2 and the glycolysis process. Ten genes were selected for risk signature construction. Patients were assigned to high-risk and low-risk groups based on the median risk score, and K-M survival analysis indicated that the high-risk group had a shorter survival time. Additionally, the risk gene signature can partially affect immune infiltrates within the HCC microenvironment, and many oncogenic pathways were enriched in the high-risk group, including glycolysis, hypoxia, and DNA repair. Finally, in vitro knockdown of ME1 suppressed proliferation, migration, and invasion of hepatocellular carcinoma cells. Conclusion: In our study, we successfully constructed and verified a novel glycolysis-related risk signature for HCC prognosis prediction, which is meaningful for classifying HCC patients and offers potential targets for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Robotic-assisted thoracic surgery following neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy in patients with stage III non-small cell lung cancer: A real-world prospective cohort study.

Objective: Stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a heterogeneous group of diseases. For this subset of patients, clinical management is still under debate and prognosis remains poor so far. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the feasibility and safety of robotic-assisted thoracic surgery after neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy in stage III NSCLC. Methods: A real-world prospective cohort study was performed in a single-center setting from April 2021 to May 2022. Patients who were diagnosed with resectable or potentially resectable stage IIIA-B NSCLC and received neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy followed by robotic-assisted thoracic surgery were enrolled. Pathological response to neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy, treatment-related adverse events, and surgical outcomes of these patients were evaluated. Results: A total of 44 patients who underwent robotic-assisted thoracic surgery after three doses of neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy were included in this study. Of these, 36 of 44 (81.8%) patients had a major pathological response, and 26 (59.1%) had a pathological complete response based on pathological examination of surgical specimen. Eight patients (18.2%) suffered grade 3 treatment-related adverse events, including neutropenia (n = 4), increased aminotransferases (n = 3), anemia (n = 1), and cutaneous capillary endothelial proliferation (n = 1). Robotic-assisted thoracic surgery was performed subsequently, and R0 resection was achieved in all patients. Only two (4.5%) patients required conversion to thoracotomy. Surgical complications occurred in five (11.4%) patients, including air leak (n = 3), chylothorax (n = 2), and surgical site infection (n = 1). There was no re-surgery or postoperative mortality within 90 days. Conclusion: Robotic-assisted thoracic surgery following neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy showed good feasibility and safety in stage III NSCLC. It was not associated with unexpected perioperative morbidity or mortality and may be a promising therapeutic option in stage III NSCLC. These results need further confirmation by more large-scale clinical trials.

Protective effect of HDL on endothelial NO production: the role of DDAH/ADMA pathway.

Accumulating studies have demonstrated that the dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolase/asymmetric dimethylarginine (DDAH/ADMA) system is a novel pathway for modulating nitric oxide (NO) production. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the protective effect of high density lipoprotein (HDL) on endothelial NO production was related to its effect on DDAH/ADMA pathway. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were prior exposed to HDL (10, 50, or 100 µg/ml) for 1 h, and then incubated with oxidized low density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) (100 µg/ml) for 24 h. The cultured medium was collected for measuring the concentration of NO and ADMA. The cells were collected for measuring the mRNA and protein expression of DDAH-II as well as DDAH activity. HUVECs treated with ox-LDL (100 µg/ml) for 24 h significantly decreased the concentration of NO, the mRNA and protein expression of DDAH-II as well as DDAH activity and increased the level of ADMA. Pretreatment with HDL (10, 50, or 100 µg/ml) could counteract these changes induced by ox-LDL (100 µg/ml). HDL significantly increased the attenuated endothelial cell NO production induced by ox-LDL, which was attributed to its effect on DDAH/ADMA pathway.

Protective effect of neferine on endothelial cell nitric oxide production induced by lysophosphatidylcholine: the role of the DDAH-ADMA pathway.

Neferine, extracted from the seed embryo of Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn., has multiple cardiovascular pharmacological effects. The dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolase (DDAH) - asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) system is a novel pathway for modulating nitric oxide (NO) production. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the protective effect of neferine on endothelial NO production was related to the DDAH-ADMA pathway. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were first exposed to neferine (0.1, 1.0, or 10.0 µmol/L) for 1 h, and then incubated with lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC; 10 µg/mL) in the presence of neferine for 24 h. The medium was collected for measuring the levels of NO, maleic dialdehyde (MDA), as well as ADMA. The endothelial cells were collected for measuring DDAH activity and the level of reactive oxygen species (ROS). LPC significantly decreased NO concentration and DDAH activity and increased the levels of ADMA, ROS, and MDA. Neferine could partially counteract the changes induced by LPC. These findings suggested that neferine could modulate the DDAH-ADMA pathway via its antioxidant properties, which was involved in its beneficial effect on endothelial NO production.

[The effect of erythromycin on transforming growth factor-ß(1) and secretory leukocyte proteinase inhibitor in a rat model of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease].

OBJECTIVE: To study the protective mechanism of erythromycin in the process of COPD. METHODS: Thirty-six male Wistar rats, grade SPF, weight (220 ± 20) g, were randomly divided into 3 groups, 12 each: a control group, a COPD model group and an erythromycin treated group. Measurement of rat pulmonary function and the pathological changes were performed, and the expression of transforming growth factor-ß(1) (TGF-ß(1)) and secretory leukocyte proteinase inhibitor (SLPI) in the lung of rats were evaluated by immunohistochemistry and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Analysis of variance, pairwise comparison between groups using SNK-q test, Pearson linear correlation analysis were carried out for statistical analysis. RESULTS: The rats in the COPD model group showed sign of less activity, loss of appetite and weight, dry and yellow hair, and sometimes wheezing, which were less or milder in the group treated with erythromycin. FEV(0.3)/FVC [(58 ± 7)%] and Cdyn [(0.16 ± 0.07) L/cm H2O, 1 cm H2O = 0.098 kPa] were significantly lower in the model group as compared to the control group [(83 ± 7)% and (0.33 ± 0.16) L/cm H2O], RI [(0.69 ± 0.14) cm H2O×L(-1)×s(-1)], but was significantly higher than the control group [(0.33 ± 0.11) cm H2O×L(-1)×s(-1)]. FEV(0.3)/FVC [(65 ± 9)%] and Cdyn [(0.23 ± 0.08) L/cm H2O] were significantly higher in the erythromycin treated group as compared to the model group [(58 ± 7)% and (0.16 ± 0.07) L/cm H2O], RI [(0.50 ± 0.13) cm H2O×L(-1)×s(-1)], but was significantly lower than the model group [(0.69 ± 0.14) cm H2O×L(-1)×s(-1)]. The expression of TGF-ß(1)protein (integral optical density value) and mRNA (absorbance value) (6.7 ± 1.5 and 0.45 ± 0.13) were lower in the erythromycin treated group as compared to the model group (10.7 ± 1.9 and 0.66 ± 0.18), but the expression of SLPI protein (integral optical density value) and mRNA (absorbance value) (9.9 ± 1.7 and 0.69 ± 0.34) were higher than those of the model group (8.1 ± 1.7 and 0.41 ± 0.27). The expressions of TGF-ß(1)and SLPI were negatively associated (r = -0.686, P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The expression of SLPI was decreased but the expression of TGF-ß(1)was increased significantly in the bronchial and lung tissues of rats with COPD. Airway inflammation was inhibited by erythromycin which was able to reduce the inhibitory effect of TGF-ß(1)to SLPI, indicating a partial protective effect of erythromycin.

[Endoplasmic reticulum stress and related apoptosis in the lungs of a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease rat model].

OBJECTIVE: To study the endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) and the apoptosis of alveolar epithelial cells in a COPD rat model. METHODS: Twenty-four Wistar rats were divided into a control group and a COPD group at random. The COPD rat model was established by intratracheal instillation of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) twice and exposure to cigarette smoke daily. The spirometry was conducted and the pathological changes were observed after the model was established. The levels of glucose regulated protein 78 (GRP78) and CCAAT/enhancer binding protein homologous protein (CHOP) mRNA were detected by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The protein expression of GRP78, CHOP and caspase-12 was detected by Western blot. TdT-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) was used to analyze alveolar epithelial cell apoptosis. Comparisons between the two groups were performed by t-test. RESULTS: Significant decrease of FEV(0.3)/FVC [(60 ± 6)%] and dynamic compliance of lung (CLdyn) [(0.17 ± 0.02) cm H2O×ml(-1)×s(-1)], and increase of airway resistance [(0.64 ± 0.07) ml/cm H2O] were found in the COPD group compared with the control group [(83 ± 7)%, (0.31 ± 0.03) cm H2O×ml(-1)×s(-1), (0.32 ± 0.03) ml/cm H2O] (t = -14.532 - 11.619, P < 0.05). GRP78 mRNA and CHOP mRNA densitometry [(0.65 ± 0.07), (0.79 ± 0.06)] were significantly increased in the COPD group compared with the control group [(0.21 ± 0.04), (0.07 ± 0.04), respectively] (t = -19.102 and -32.573, P < 0.05). GRP78, CHOP, and active caspase-12 protein densitometry (0.83 ± 0.06, 0.82 ± 0.06 and 0.81 ± 0.07) were significantly increased in the COPD group compared with the control group [(0.33 ± 0.05, 0.05 ± 0.03 and 0.24 ± 0.06), respectively] (t = -40.866 - -22.070, P < 0.05). More apoptotic alveolar epithelial cells were found in the COPD group [(32.4 ± 3.7)%] than in the control group [(6.2 ± 0.9)%] (t = -23.852, P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: ERS was triggered in the lung tissues of COPD rats, especially in the alveolar epithelial cells. Alveolar epithelial cell apoptosis was increased in the COPD group. The ERS mediated apoptosis pathway may participate in the alveolar epithelial cell apoptosis in COPD.