Inhaled high molecular weight hyaluronan ameliorates respiratory failure in acute COPD exacerbation: a pilot study.

Background: Acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) carry significant morbidity and mortality. AECOPD treatment remains limited. High molecular weight hyaluronan (HMW-HA) is a glycosaminoglycan sugar, which is a physiological constituent of the lung extracellular matrix and has notable anti-inflammatory and hydrating properties.

Multiwalled carbon nanotubes induce altered morphology and loss of barrier function in human bronchial epithelium at noncytotoxic doses.

Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) have seen increasing application in consumer products over the past decade, resulting in an increasing risk of human exposure. While numerous toxicological studies have been performed using acute high doses of various carbonaceous nanomaterials, the effects of longer-term, low doses of MWCNTs remain relatively unexplored. This study examined bronchoscopy-derived healthy human bronchial epithelial cells exposed in submerged culture to noncytotoxic doses of MWCNTs over 7 days.

Inflammasome activation in airway epithelial cells after multi-walled carbon nanotube exposure mediates a profibrotic response in lung fibroblasts.

Background: In vivo studies have demonstrated the ability of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) to induce airway remodeling, a key feature of chronic respiratory diseases like asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. However, the mechanism leading to remodeling is poorly understood. Particularly, there is limited insight about the role of airway epithelial injury in these changes.

Sulfite-mediated oxidation of myeloperoxidase to a free radical: immuno-spin trapping detection in human neutrophils.

Previous studies focused on catalyzed oxidation of (bi)sulfite, leading to the formation of the reactive sulfur trioxide ((•)SO3(-)), peroxymonosulfate ((-)O3SOO(•)), and sulfate (SO4(•-)) anion radicals, which can damage target proteins and oxidize them to protein radicals. It is known that these very reactive sulfur- and oxygen-centered radicals can be formed by oxidation of (bi)sulfite by peroxidases. Myeloperoxidase (MPO), an abundant heme protein secreted from activated neutrophils that play a central role in host defense mechanisms, allergic reactions, and asthma, is a likely candidate for initiating the respiratory damage caused by sulfur dioxide.

Cerium dioxide nanoparticles induce apoptosis and autophagy in human peripheral blood monocytes.

Cerium dioxide nanoparticles (CeO(2) NPs) have diversified industrial uses, and novel therapeutic applications are actively being pursued. There is a lack of mechanistic data concerning the effects of CeO(2) NPs on primary human cells. We aimed at characterizing the cytotoxic effects of CeO(2) NPs in human peripheral blood monocytes.

Cerium dioxide nanoparticles do not modulate the lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammatory response in human monocytes.

Background: Cerium dioxide (CeO(2)) nanoparticles have potential therapeutic applications and are widely used for industrial purposes. However, the effects of these nanoparticles on primary human cells are largely unknown. The ability of nanoparticles to exacerbate pre-existing inflammatory disorders is not well documented for engineered nanoparticles, and is certainly lacking for CeO(2) nanoparticles.

Formation of reactive sulfite-derived free radicals by the activation of human neutrophils: an ESR study.

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of (bi)sulfite (hydrated sulfur dioxide) on human neutrophils and the ability of these immune cells to produce reactive free radicals due to (bi)sulfite oxidation. Myeloperoxidase (MPO) is an abundant heme protein in neutrophils that catalyzes the formation of cytotoxic oxidants implicated in asthma and inflammatory disorders. In this study sulfite ((•)SO(3)(-)) and sulfate (SO(4)(•-)) anion radicals are characterized with the ESR spin-trapping technique using 5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline N-oxide (DMPO) in the reaction of (bi)sulfite oxidation by human MPO and human neutrophils via sulfite radical chain reaction chemistry.

Androgen receptor-mediated apoptosis is regulated by photoactivatable androgen receptor ligands.

We have studied nonsteroidal ligands of the human androgen receptor (hAR) and have shown elsewhere that when photoactivated by visible light they collide with O2 to yield singlet oxygens (1O2) in vitro. Here we report cell killing after brief light activation (405 nm) of 1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-2,2-dimethyl-6-(trifluoromethyl)-8-pyridono[5,6-g]quinoline (TDPQ) in human prostate tumor cells. TDPQ/AR complexes were required for the death response because AR-positive LNCaP cells were killed, whereas AR-negative PC-3 cells were resistant.

Susceptibility of signal transducer and activator of transcription-1-deficient mice to pulmonary fibrogenesis.

The signal transducer and activator of transcription (Stat)-1 mediates growth arrest and apoptosis. We postulated that lung fibrosis characterized by excessive proliferation of lung fibroblasts would be enhanced in Stat1-deficient (Stat1-/-) mice. Two weeks after bleomycin aspiration (3 U/kg), Stat1-/- mice exhibited a more severe fibroproliferative response and significantly elevated total lung collagen compared to wild-type mice.

ErbB2 activity is required for airway epithelial repair following neutrophil elastase exposure.

In cystic fibrosis and chronic bronchitis, airways are chronically injured by exposure to neutrophil elastase (NE). We sought to identify factors required for epithelial repair following NE exposure. Normal human bronchial epithelial cells were treated with NE (50 nM, 22 h) or control vehicle.

IL-13 and IL-1beta promote lung fibroblast growth through coordinated up-regulation of PDGF-AA and PDGF-Ralpha.

Peribronchiolar fibrosis is a prominent feature of airway remodeling in asthma and involves fibroblast growth and collagen deposition. Interleukin-13 (IL-13), a T-helper 2 cytokine, is a key mediator of airway remodeling in asthma, yet the mechanism through which IL-13 promotes fibroblast growth has not been investigated. In this study, we show that IL-13 stimulates the mitogenesis of mouse, rat, and human lung fibroblasts through release of a soluble mitogen that we identified as PDGF-AA.

Vanadium-induced STAT-1 activation in lung myofibroblasts requires H2O2 and P38 MAP kinase.

Vanadium compounds present in air pollution particulate matter activate signal transduction pathways in pulmonary cell types leading to pathological outcomes including aberrant cell proliferation, apoptosis, and cytokine expression. Vanadium has been proposed to activate transcription factors via the generation of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). We investigated the mechanisms through which vanadium pentoxide (V2O5), the major form of vanadium released from the industrial burning of fuel oil, activated the signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT)-1.

Vanadium-induced HB-EGF expression in human lung fibroblasts is oxidant dependent and requires MAP kinases.

Vanadium pentoxide (V(2)O(5)) is a transition metal derived from the burning of petrochemicals that causes airway fibrosis and remodeling. Vanadium compounds activate many intracellular signaling pathways via the generation of hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) or other reactive oxygen species. In this study, we investigated the regulation of heparin-binding epidermal growth factor-like growth factor (HB-EGF) in human lung fibroblasts after V(2)O(5) treatment.

p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase regulates growth factor-induced mitogenesis of rat pulmonary myofibroblasts.

Myofibroblast proliferation is a central feature of pulmonary fibrogenesis. Several growth factors, including platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) and epidermal growth factor (EGF), stimulate myofibroblast growth by activating extracellular signal regulated kinases 1 and 2 (ERK1/2). In this report, we demonstrate that PDGF-BB and EGF also activate the p38 mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase.

Susceptibility of cyclooxygenase-2-deficient mice to pulmonary fibrogenesis.

The cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 enzyme has been implicated as an important mediator of pulmonary fibrosis. In this study, the lung fibrotic responses were investigated in COX-1 or COX-2-deficient (-/-) mice following vanadium pentoxide (V(2)O(5)) exposure. Lung histology was normal in saline-instilled wild-type and COX-deficient mice.