Particulate matter with a diameter of ≤2.5 μm induces and enhances bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis by stimulating endoplasmic reticulum stress in rat

Biological effects of air pollution on the function of human skin equivalents

The World Health Organization reports that 99% of the global population are exposed to pollution levels higher than the recommended air quality guidelines. Pollution-induced changes in the skin have begun to surface; however, the effects require further investigation so that effective protective strategies can be developed. This study aimed to investigate some of the aging-associated effects caused by ozone and particulate matter (PM) on human skin equivalents. Full-thickness skin equivalents were exposed to 0.01 μg/μL PM, 0.05 μg/μL PM, 0.3 ppm ozone, or a combination of 0.01 μg/μL PM and 0.3 ppm ozone, before skin equivalents and culture medium were harvested for histological/immunohistochemical staining, gene and protein expression analysis using qPCR, Western blotting, and ELISA. Markers include MMP-1, MMP-3, COL1A1, collagen-I, 4-HNE, HMGCR, and PGE2. PM was observed to induce a decrease in epidermal thickness and an enhanced matrix building phenotype, with increases in COL1A1 and an increase in collagen-I protein expression. By contrast, ozone induced an increase in epidermal thickness and was found to induce a matrix-degrading phenotype, with decreases in collagen-I gene/protein expression and increases in MMP-1 and MMP-3 gene/protein expression. Ozone was also found to induce changes in lipid homeostasis and inflammation induction. Some synergistic damage was also observed when combining ozone and 0.01 μg/μL PM. The results presented in this study identify distinct pollutant-induced effects and show how pollutants may act synergistically to augment damage; given individuals are rarely only exposed to one pollutant type, exposure to multiple pollutant types should be considered to develop effective protective interventions.

Glycyrrhizin protects against particulate matter-induced lung injury via regulation of endoplasmic reticulum stress and NLRP3 inflammasome-mediated pyroptosis through Nrf2/HO-1/NQO1 signaling pathway

Particulate matter (PM) is a major environmental pollutant that contributes considerably to deaths worldwide. The pathogenesis of PM-induced lung injury (PILI) is far from elucidated and warrants effective intervention. An effective component of licorice, glycyrrhizin (GL), has been the subject of much research due to its anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative capabilities. Although preventive properties of GL are well-known, the precise mechanism of GL in PILI has not yet been investigated. A mouse model of PILI was used to examine the protective effects of GL in vivo, and a human bronchial epithelial cells (HBECs) model was used in vitro. In order to determine whether GL mitigates PILI, its effects on endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, NLRP3 inflammasome-mediated pyroptosis and the oxidative response were examined. According to the findings, GL reduced PILI and activate anti-oxidative Nrf2/HO-1/NQO1 signaling in mice. Notably, the effect of GL on PM-induced ER stress and NLRP3 inflammasome-mediated pyroptosis was significantly attenuated by the Nrf2 inhibitor ML385. The data suggest that via the anti-oxidative Nrf2 signaling, GL may reduce oxidative stress-mediated ER stress and NLRP3 inflammasome-mediated pyroptosis. Therefore, GL may serve as a promising treatment for PILI.

The macrophage senescence hypothesis: the role of poor heat shock response in pulmonary inflammation and endothelial dysfunction following chronic exposure to air pollution

INTRODUCTION

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) have been associated with high exposure to fine particulate air pollutants (PM_2.5). Alveolar macrophages are the first defense against inhaled particles. As soon as they phagocytize the particles, they reach an inflammatory phenotype, which affects the surrounding cells and associates with CVD. Not coincidentally, CVD are marked by a depleted heat shock response (HSR), defined by a deficit in inducing 70-kDa heat shock protein (HSP70) expression during stressful conditions. HSP70 is a powerful anti-inflammatory chaperone, whose reduced levels trigger a pro-inflammatory milieu, cellular senescence, and a senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP). However, whether macrophage senescence is the main mechanism by which PM_2.5 propagates low-grade inflammation remains unclear.

OBJECTIVE AND DESIGN

In this article, we review evidence supporting that chronic exposure to PM_2.5 depletes HSR and determines the ability to solve the initial stress.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

When exposed to PM_2.5, macrophages increase the production of reactive oxygen species, which activate nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB). NF-κB is naturally a pro-inflammatory factor that drives prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) synthesis and causes fever. PGE2 can be converted into prostaglandin A2, a powerful inducer of HSR. Therefore, when transiently activated, NF-κB can trigger the anti-inflammatory response through negative feedback, by inducing HSP70 expression. However, when chronically activated, NF-κB heads a set of pathways involved in mitochondrial dysfunction, endoplasmic reticulum stress, unfolded protein response, inflammasome activation, and apoptosis. During chronic exposure to PM_2.5, cells cannot properly express sirtuin-1 or activate heat shock factor-1 (HSF-1), which delays the resolution phase of inflammation. Since alveolar macrophages are the first immune defense against PM_2.5, we suppose that the pollutant impairs HSR and, consequently, induces cellular senescence. Accordingly, senescent macrophages change its secretory phenotype to a more inflammatory one, known as SASP. Finally, macrophages' SASP would propagate the systemic inflammation, leading to endothelial dysfunction and atherosclerosis.

Intermittent exposure to airborne particulate matter induces subcellular dysfunction and aortic cell damage in BALB/c mice through multi-endpoint assessment at environmentally relevant concentrations

Airborne particulate matter (PM) has been linked to cardiovascular diseases, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear, especially at realistic exposure levels. In this study, both male and female BALB/c mice were employed to assess vascular homeostasis following a standard urban particulate matter, PM SRM1648a, via oropharyngeal aspiration at three environmentally relevant concentrations. The tested indicators included histopathological observation and lipid deposition, as well as redox biology and inflammatory responses. Furthermore, endothelial monolayer, vascular cell apoptosis and subcellular function were assessed to decipher whether episodic PM SRM1648a exposure leads to vascular damage after multiple periods of treatment, including subacute (4 weeks) and subchronic (8 weeks) durations. As a result, PM aspiration caused thickening of airways, leukocytes infiltration and adhesion to alveoli, with the spot of particles engulfed by pulmonary macrophages. Meanwhile, it induced local and systemic oxidative stress and inflammation, but limited pathological changes were captured throughout aortic tissues after either subacute or subchronic treatment. Furthermore, even in the absence of aortic impairment, vascular cell equilibrium has been disturbed by the characteristics of endothelial monolayer disintegration and cell apoptosis. Mechanistically, PM SRM1648a activated molecular markers of ER stress (BIP) and mitochondrial dynamics (DRP1) at both transcriptional and translational levels, which were strongly correlated to ox-inflammation and could serve as early checkpoints of hazardous events. In summary, our data basically indicate that episodic exposure of BALB/c mice to PM SRM1648a exerts limited effects on vascular histopathological alterations, but induces vascular cell apoptosis and subcellular dysfunction, to which local and systemic redox biology and inflammation are probably correlated.

Evaluation of the effect of filtered ultrafine particulate matter on bleomycin-induced lung fibrosis in a rat model using computed tomography, histopathologic analysis, and RNA sequencing

We aimed to investigate the effect of chronic particulate matter (PM) exposure on bleomycin-induced lung fibrosis in a rat model using chest CT, histopathologic evaluation, and RNA-sequencing. A bleomycin solution was intratracheally administrated to 20 male rats. For chronic PM exposure, after four weeks of bleomycin treatment to induce lung fibrosis, PM suspension (experimental group) or normal saline (control group) was intratracheally administrated for 10 weeks. Chest CT was carried out in all rats, and then both lungs were extracted for histopathologic evaluation. One lobe from three rats in each group underwent RNA sequencing, and one lobe from five rats in each group was evaluated by western blotting. Inflammation and fibrosis scores in both chest CT and pathologic analysis were significantly more aggravated in rats with chronic PM exposure than in the control group. Several genes associated with inflammation and immunity were also upregulated with chronic PM exposure. Our study revealed that chronic PM exposure in a bleomycin-induced lung fibrosis rat model aggravated pulmonary fibrosis and inflammation, proven by chest CT, pathologic analysis, and RNA sequencing.

Differential contribution of bone marrow-derived infiltrating monocytes and resident macrophages to persistent lung inflammation in chronic air pollution exposure

Chronic exposure to particulate matter < 2.5µ (PM_2.5) has been linked to cardiopulmonary disease. Tissue-resident (TR) alveolar macrophages (AΦ) are long-lived, self-renew and critical to the health impact of inhalational insults. There is an inadequate understanding of the impact of PM_2.5 exposure on the nature/time course of transcriptional responses, self-renewal of AΦ, and the contribution from bone marrow (BM) to this population. Accordingly, we exposed chimeric (CD45.2/CD45.1) mice to concentrated PM_2.5 or filtered air (FA) to evaluate the impact on these end-points. PM_2.5 exposure for 4-weeks induced an influx of BM-derived monocytes into the lungs with no contribution to the overall TR-AΦ pool. Chronic (32-weeks) PM_2.5 exposure on the other hand while associated with increased recruitment of BM-derived monocytes and their incorporation into the AΦ population, resulted in enhanced apoptosis and decreased proliferation of TR-AΦ. RNA-seq analysis of isolated TR-AΦ and BM-AΦ from 4- and 32-weeks exposed mice revealed a unique time-dependent pattern of differentially expressed genes. PM_2.5 exposure resulted in altered histological changes in the lungs, a reduced alveolar fraction which corresponded to protracted lung inflammation. Our findings suggest a time-dependent entrainment of BM-derived monocytes into the AΦ population of PM_2.5 exposed mice, that together with enhanced apoptosis of TR-AΦ and reorganization of transcriptional responses, could collectively contribute to the perpetuation of chronic inflammation.

Necrostatin-1 Alleviates Bleomycin-Induced Pulmonary Fibrosis and Extracellular Matrix Expression in Interstitial Pulmonary Fibrosis

Background

Interstitial pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is harmful for patients’ life and health. The effective treatment of IPF is lacking because of unclear pathogenesis. Necrostatin-1 has protective effects on lung injury and can suppress the fibrosis development. I this study we investigated whether necrostatin-1 could decrease the proliferation of pulmonary fibroblasts, pulmonary fibrosis and expression of extracellular matrix (ECM) in IPF.

Material/Methods

The IPF mice model was conducted by intra-tracheal injection of bleomycin (BLM) (2 mg/kg) for C57BL/6N mice. Necrostatin-1 treatment was performed with 1 mg/kg necrostatin-1 by an intravenous injection for C57BL/6N mice. Lung tissue structures and collagen deposition were observed by hematoxylin and eosin staining and Masson staining. IPF in vitro model was constructed by MRC-5 cells induced by transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-β1). And, 20 μM necrostatin-1 was used to treat the TGF-β1 induced MRC-5 cells. Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay detected the viability of MRC-5 cells. The expression of receptor-interacting protein kinase-1 and -3 (RIPK1 and RIPK3), α smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), collagen IV, collagen I, fibronectin (FN), and transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) in lung tissues and MRC-5 cells was measured by western blot analysis. The α-SMA expression in lung tissues was also analyzed by immunohistochemistry.

Results

The expression of RIPK1 and RIPK3 in lung tissues of BLM induced mice was increased. The degree of pulmonary fibrosis and expression of α-SMA, collagen IV, collagen I, FN, and TGF-β in lung tissues of BLM induced mice was enhanced. The proliferation of MRC-5 cells was increased when MRC-5 cells were induced by TGF-β. The expression of RIPK1, RIPK3, α-SMA, collagen IV, collagen I, and FN was increased in TGF-β induced MRC-5 cells. And, necrostatin-1 could effectively reverse the changes of pulmonary fibrosis, RIPK1, RIPK3, and ECM in vivo and in vitro experiments.

Conclusions

Necrostatin-1 attenuated pulmonary fibrosis in lung tissues of BLM induced mice and inhibited the fibroblast proliferation. And, necrostatin-1 also decreased the expression of RIPK1, RIPK3, and ECM in lung tissues of BLM induced mice and TGF-β induced fibroblasts. Necrostatin-1 could be a new effective drug for the treatment of IPF.

Effective fraction of Bletilla striata reduces the inflammatory cytokine production induced by water and organic extracts of airborne fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in vitro

BACKGROUND

Bletilla striata is a traditional Chinese medicine used to treat hemorrhage, scald, gastric ulcer, pulmonary diseases and inflammations. In this study, we investigated bioactivity of the effective fraction of B. striata (EFB) in reducing the inflammatory cytokine production induced by water or organic extracts of PM_2.5.

METHODS

PM_2.5 extracts were collected and analyzed by chromatographic system and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer. Cell viability was measured using MTS (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-5-(3-carboxymethoxyphenyl)-2-(4-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium) assay, and cell supernatant was analyzed by flow cytometry, ELISA, and qRT-PCR in cultured mouse macrophage cell line RAW264.7 treated with EFB and PM_2.5 extracts. Expressions of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway were measured by Western blot.

RESULTS

PM_2.5 composition is complex and the toxicity of PM_2.5 extracts were not noticeable. The treatment of EFB at a wide dose-range of 0-40 μg/mL did not cause significant change of RAW264.7 cell proliferation. EFB pretreatment decreased the inflammatory cytokines in the macrophage. Further analysis showed that EFB significantly attenuated PM_2.5-induced proinflammatory protein expression and downregulated the levels of phosphorylated NF-κBp65, inhibitor of kappa B (IκB)-α, c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), and p38.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study demonstrated the potential effectiveness of B. striata extracts for treating PM_2.5-triggered pulmonary inflammation.