Uncoupling Protein 2 Increases Susceptibility to Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Acute Lung Injury in Mice.

Uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2) is upregulated in patients with systemic inflammation and infection, but its functional role is unclear. We up- or downregulated UCP2 expression using UCP2 recombinant adenovirus or the UCP2 inhibitor, genipin, in lungs of mice, and investigated the mechanisms of UCP2 in ALI. UCP2 overexpression in mouse lungs increased LPS-induced pathological changes, lung permeability, lung inflammation, and lowered survival rates.

RIP140 down-regulation alleviates acute lung injury via the inhibition of LPS-induced PPARγ promoter methylation.

Seriously inflammatory response of the lungs can induce acute lung injury (ALI) or acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) which are serious public health threats due to their high patient morbidity and mortality. While RIP140 is known to modulate proinflammatory cytokine production during an inflammatory response, its role in ALI/ARDS is unclear. In this study, we examined RIP140 and PPARγ protein expression in RAW 264.