OBJECTIVETo explore the role of the receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) in regulating the expression of MUC5AC and mucus production in a mouse model of toluene diisocyanate (TDI)?induced asthma.

METHODSBALB/c mice were randomly divided into control group, vehicle (AOO) group, TDI?induced asthma group and RAGE inhibitor (FPS?ZM1) group. PAS staining, Western blotting, and immunohistochemistry were used to analyze the changes in mucus production and MUC5AC expression in the airway of the mice, and the expression of p?ERK was detected with Western blotting. In vitro cultured human bronchial epithelial cell line 16HBE was transfected with lentiviral vector carrying short hairpin RNA targeting RAGE (shRNA?RAGE) and subsequently challenged with a TDI?human serum albumin (TDI-HSA) conjugate, and the changes in cellular MUC5AC mRNA expression as detected using RT-PCR; the protein expressions of ERK and p?ERK in the cells were examined with Western blotting. The effect of ERK inhibitor U0126 pretreatment on MUC5AC mRNA expression was also analyzed in the cells.

RESULTSCompared with the control mice, TDI-induced asthmatic mice showed significantly higher rates of PAS positivity and increased MUC5AC and p?ERK expressions in the airway (P<0.05). Treatment with FPS?ZM1 significantly decreased PAS positivity and lowered MUC5AC and p?ERK expressions in the airway of the asthmatic mice (P<0.05). Exposure of 16HBE cells to TDI?HSA caused a significant increase in MUC5AC mRNA expression and p?ERK protein expression (P<0.05), while RAGE knockdown obviously suppressed TDI?HSA-induced upregulation of p-ERK and MUC5AC mRNA (P<0.05). Treatment with the ERK inhibitor U0126 also lowered TDI?HSA?induced up?regulation of MUC5AC mRNA in the cells (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONRAGE signaling induces MUC5AC expression via extracellular signal-regulated kinase pathway to promote mucus overproduction in mice with TDI-induced asthma.