Protective effect of methylallyl sulfone in the development of cigarette smoke extract-induced apoptosis in rats and HFL-1 cells

Treadmill exercise with nanoselenium supplementation affects the expression of Irisin/FNDC5 and semaphorin 3A in rats exposed to cigarette smoke extract

In the current study, we investigated the impacts of 6 weeks of aerobic interval training (AIT) with selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) on muscle, serum, and lung irisin (FNDC5) and Sema3A in rats exposed to cigarette smoke extract (CSE). To this end, 49 male Wistar rats (8 weeks old) were divided into seven groups: control, SeNPs (2.5 mg/kg b.w by oral gavage, 3 days/week, 6 weeks), AIT (49 min/day, 5 days/week for 6 weeks, interval), SeNPs + AIT, CSE (150 µL by IP injection, 1 day/week for 6 weeks), CSE + AIT, and CSE + SeNPs + AIT. The CSE group showed a significant reduction in irisin and Sema3A serum levels, as well as a decrease in FNDC5 and Sema3A gene expression in lung tissue (p < 0.05). A combined treatment (AIT with SeNPs) significantly increased the serum level and the expression of muscle and lung irisin (FNDC5) and Sema3A in CSE received groups (p < 0.05). There was a positive and significant correlation between muscle FNDC5 and lung FNDC5 in the CSE + SeNPs + AIT group (r = 0.92, p = 0.025). In addition, there was a positive and significant correlation between serum Sema3A and lung Sema3A of CSE + SeNPs + AIT group (r = 0.97, p = 0.004). Seemingly, performing aerobic exercises with the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory supplement nano-selenium in the model of lung damage (similar to COPD) can boost myokine irisin and Sema3A, especially in serum and lung tissue. These results displayed the paracrine/endocrine regulatory function of these myokines on other tissues. In other words, these interventions emphasized the creation of crosstalk between skeletal muscles and damaged lung, focusing on its recovery; however, further research is needed.

Heated Tobacco Products Impair Cell Viability, Osteoblastic Differentiation, and Bone Fracture-Healing

BACKGROUND

The negative impact of cigarette smoking on bone union has been well documented. However, the impact of heated tobacco product (HTP) use on bone fracture-healing remains unclear. The present study investigated the effect of HTPs on preosteoblast viability, osteoblastic differentiation, and fracture-healing and compared the effects with those of conventional combustible cigarettes.

METHODS

Cigarette smoke extracts (CSEs) were generated from combustible cigarettes (cCSE) and HTPs (hCSE). CSE concentrations were standardized by assessing optical density. Preosteoblast (MC3T3-E1) cells were incubated with normal medium, cCSE, or hCSE. The cell viability was assessed via MTT assay. After osteoblastic differentiation of CSE-exposed cells, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity was assessed. To assess the in vivo effects of CSEs, a femoral midshaft osteotomy was performed in a rat model; thereafter, saline solution, cCSE, or hCSE was injected intraperitoneally, and bone union was assessed on the basis of micro-computed tomography (μCT) and biomechanical analysis 4 weeks later.

RESULTS

MC3T3-E1 cell viability was reduced in a time and concentration-dependent manner when treated with either cCSE or hCSE. ALP activity after osteoblastic differentiation of cCSE-treated cells was significantly lower than that of both untreated and hCSE-treated cells (mean and standard deviation, 452.4 ± 48.8 [untreated], 326.2 ± 26.2 [cCSE-treated], and 389.9 ± 26.6 [hCSE-treated] mol/L/min; p = 0.002). Moreover, the levels of osteoblastic differentiation in untreated and hCSE-treated cells differed significantly (p < 0.05). In vivo assessment of the femoral midshaft cortical region revealed that both cCSE and hCSE administration significantly decreased bone mineral content 4 weeks after surgery compared with levels observed in untreated animals (107.0 ± 11.9 [untreated], 94.5 ± 13.0 [cCSE-treated], and 89.0 ± 10.1 mg/cm3 [hCSE-treated]; p = 0.049). Additionally, cCSE and hCSE-exposed femora had significantly lower bone volumes than unexposed femora. Biomechanical analyses showed that both cCSE and hCSE administration significantly decreased femoral maximum load and elastic modulus (p = 0.015 and 0.019).

CONCLUSIONS

HTP use impairs cell viability, osteoblastic differentiation, and bone fracture-healing at levels comparable with those associated with combustible cigarette use.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE

HTP use negatively affects bone fracture-healing to a degree similar to that of combustible cigarettes. Orthopaedic surgeons should recommend HTP smoking cessation to improve bone union.

Blocking tumor necrosis factor-α delays progression of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in rats through inhibiting MAPK signaling pathway and activating SOCS3/TRAF1

The present study was conducted in order to study the detailed molecular mechanism of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The rats were treated with cigarette smoke (CS) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to establish the COPD model. Next, the changes in lung injury in COPD rats with TNF-α knockdown was tested. Meanwhile, the regulation of TNF-α on MAPK pathway and its downstream molecules (SOCS3/TRAF1) was determined by western blotting. On this basis, the activation of MAPK and inhibition of SOCS3/TRAF1 was also examined. Subsequently, the lung function was tested with the plethysmograph, the cells of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid was counted and classified. Furthermore, lung tissue sections were stained with hematoxylin and eosin to verify whether the treatment of MAPK pathway and downstream molecules affected the effect of TNF-α knockdown on COPD. The present study showed that TNF-α knockdown could alleviate the decrease in the function and inflammatory injury of the lungs of rats with COPD. Western blot analysis verified that TNF-α knockdown could inhibit the activation of MAPK pathway and increase the expression of SOCS3/TRAF1. The following experimental results showed that the relief of lung injury caused by TNF-α knockdown could be deteriorated by activating MAPK pathway. It was also found that the symptom of COPD was decreased following transfection with sh-TNF-α but worsened by SOCS3/TRAF1 knockdown. Overall, TNF-α knockdown inhibited the activation of MAPK pathway and increased the expression of SOCS3/TRAF1, thus delaying the process of COPD.

Ergosterol attenuates cigarette smoke extract-induced COPD by modulating inflammation, oxidative stress and apoptosis in vitro and in vivo

Cigarette smoke (CS) is the major cause of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). CS heightens inflammation, oxidative stress and apoptosis. Ergosterol is the main bioactive ingredient in Cordyceps sinensis (C. sinensis), a traditional medicinal herb for various diseases. The objective of this work was to investigate the effects of ergosterol on anti-inflammatory and antioxidative stress as well as anti-apoptosis in a cigarette smoke extract (CSE)-induced COPD model both in vitro and in vivo Our results demonstrate that CSE induced inflammatory and oxidative stress and apoptosis with the involvement of the Bcl-2 family proteins via the nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB)/p65 pathway in both 16HBE cells and Balb/c mice. CSE induced epithelial cell death and increased the expression of nitric oxide (NO), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), malondialdehyde (MAD) and the apoptosis-related proteins cleaved caspase 3/7/9 and cleaved-poly-(ADP)-ribose polymerase (PARP) both in vitro and in vivo, whereas decreased the levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT). Treatment of 16HBE cells and Balb/c mice with ergosterol inhibited CSE-induced inflammatory and oxidative stress and apoptosis by inhibiting the activation of NF-κB/p65. Ergosterol suppressed apoptosis by inhibiting the expression of the apoptosis-related proteins both in vitro and in vivo Moreover, the usage of QNZ (an inhibitor of NF-κB) also partly demonstrated that NF-κB/p65 pathway was involved in the ergosterol protective progress. These results show that ergosterol suppressed COPD inflammatory and oxidative stress and apoptosis through the NF-κB/p65 pathway, suggesting that ergosterol may be partially responsible for the therapeutic effects of cultured C. sinensis on COPD patients.

Methylallyl sulfone attenuates inflammation, oxidative stress and lung injury induced by cigarette smoke extract in mice and RAW264.7 cells

In this study, we revealed that methylallyl sulfone (AMSO2), the metabolite of active organosulfur compounds, had anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effect in a cigarette smoke extract (CSE)-induced lung injury model. Firstly, histological analysis showed that the CSE group exhibited lung injury compared with the control, which was alleviated by AMSO2. Secondly, we estimated its anti-inflammatory capacity. The results indicated that pretreatment with AMSO2 significantly decreased CSE-elevated tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in serum. Thirdly, AMSO2 also showed antioxidant properties through enhancing activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) as well as reducing the level of malondialdehyde (MDA) and myeloperoxidase (MPO). Finally, we elucidated that AMSO2 alleviated inflammation and oxidative stress probably via suppressing ERK/p38 MAPK and inhibiting NF-κB expressions. In conclusion, we proposed that AMSO2 protected against the development of CSE-induced lung injury by reducing inflammatory cytokine levels and augmenting antioxidant activity via ERK/p38 MAPK and NF-κB pathways.