Pretreatment with atorvastatin ameliorates cobra venom factor-induced acute lung inflammation in mice
BMC PULMONARY MEDICINE
Authors: Guo, Jing; Li, Min; Yang, Yi; Zhang, Lin; Zhang, Li-wei; Sun, Qian-yun
Abstract
Background: The complement system plays a critical role as the pathogenic factor in the models of acute lung injury due to various causes. Cobra venom factor (CVF) is a commonly used complement research tool. The CVF can cause acute inflammation in the lung by producing complement activation components. Atorvastatin (ATR) is a 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A inhibitor approved for control of plasma cholesterol levels. This inhibitor can reduce the acute pulmonary inflammatory response. However, the ability of ATR in treating acute lung inflammation caused by complement activation is still unknown. Therefore, we investigated the effect of ATR on lung inflammation in mice induced by activation of the complement alternative pathway in this study. Methods: ATR (10 mg/kg/day via oral gavage) was administered for 7 days before tail vein injection of CVF (25 mu g/kg). On the seventh day, all mice were sacrificed 1 h after injection. The lung lobe, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), and blood samples were collected. The myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity of the lung homogenate, the leukocyte cell count, and the protein content of BALF were measured. The levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), P-selectin, and Intercellular cell adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) in BALF and serum were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The pathological change of the lung tissue was observed by hematoxylin and eosin staining. The deposition of C5b-9 in the lung tissue was detected by immunohistochemistry. The phosphorylation of NF-kappa B p65 in the lung tissues was examined by immunohistochemistry and western blotting. Results: The lung inflammation levels were determined by measuring the leukocyte cell numbers and protein content of BALF, the lung MPO activity, and expression and staining of the inflammatory mediators (IL-6 and TNF-alpha), and adhesion molecules (P-selectin and ICAM-1) for lung lesion. A significant reduction in the lung inflammation levels was observed after 7 days in ATR pre-treated mice with a CVF-induced lung disease. Deposition of C5b-9 was significantly alleviated by ATR pretreatment. Early intervention with ATR significantly reduced the development of acute lung inflammation on the basis of phosphorylation of NF-kappa B p65 in the lung. Conclusion: These findings suggest the identification of ATR treatment for the lung inflammation induced by activating the complement system on the basis of its anti-inflammatory response. Together with the model replicating the complement activating characteristics of acute lung injury, the results may be translatable to the overactivated complement relevant diseases.
Plasma Tenascin-C: a prognostic biomarker in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction
BIOMARKERS
Authors: Kanagala, Prathap; Arnold, Jayanth R.; Khan, Jamal N.; Singh, Anvesha; Gulsin, Gaurav S.; Chan, Daniel C. S.; Cheng, Adrian S. H.; Yang, Jing; Li, Zhuyin; Gupta, Pankaj; Squire, Iain B.; McCann, Gerry P.; Ng, Leong L.
Abstract
Introduction Tenascin-C is a marker of interstitial fibrosis. We assessed whether plasma Tenascin-C differed between heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) and asymptomatic controls and related to clinical outcomes. Materials and Methods Prospective, observational study of 172 age- and sex-matched subjects (HFpEFn = 130; controlsn = 42, age 73 +/- 9, males 50%) who underwent phenotyping with 20 plasma biomarkers, echocardiography, cardiac MRI and 6-minute-walk-testing. The primary endpoint was the composite of all-cause death/HF hospitalisation. Results Tenascin-C was higher in HFpEF compared to controls (13.7 [10.8-17.3] vs (11.1 [8.9-12.9] ng/ml,p < 0.0001). Tenascin-C correlated positively with markers of clinical severity (NYHA, E/E', BNP) and plasma biomarkers reflecting interstitial fibrosis (ST-2, Galectin-3, GDF-15, TIMP-1, TIMP-4, MMP-2, MMP-3, MMP-7, MMP-8), cardiomyocyte stress (BNP, NTpro-ANP), inflammation (MPO, hs-CRP, TNFR-1, IL6) and renal dysfunction (urea, cystatin-C, NGAL);p < 0.05 for all. During follow-up (median 1428 days), there were 61 composite events (21 deaths, 40 HF hospitalizations). In multivariable Cox regression analysis, Tenascin-C (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 1.755, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.305-2.360;p < 0.0001) and indexed extracellular volume (HR 1.465, CI 1.019-2.106;p = 0.039) were independently associated with adverse outcomes. Conclusions In HFpEF, plasma Tenascin-C is higher compared to age- and sex-matched controls and a strong predictor of adverse outcomes.