This study aimed to explore the mechanism of Tanreqing Injection in the treatment of acute lung injury(ALI) based on network pharmacology and molecular docking. The active components and action targets of Tanreqing Injection were retrieved from the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform(TCMSP), PubChem, and SwissTargetPrediction databases, as well as available literature reports. The ALI-related targets were obtained from the GeneCards database and then mapped with Tanreqing Injection targets. Following the construction of "drug-component-potential target" network with Cytoscape 3.6.1, the potential targets were input into STRING to yield the protein-protein interaction(PPI) network, which was plotted using Cytoscape 3.6.1. Then the screened key targets were subjected to gene ontology(GO) and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes(KEGG) enrichment analysis based on DAVID database. The top three key targets RAC-alpha serine/threonine-protein kinase(AKT1), albumin(ALB) and interleukin-6(IL6) were docked to the top three key compounds by PyMOL and AutoDock vina. A total of 58 active components of Tanreqing Injection, 597 corresponding targets and 503 common targets shared by Tanreqing Injection and ALI were fi-gured out, with the key targets AKT1, ALB and IL6 involved. GO and KEGG enrichment analysis yielded 1 445 biological processes and 148 signaling pathways, respectively. Molecular docking verified a good binding ability of the top three key targets to the top three key compounds. The analysis based on network pharmacology and molecular docking uncovered that Tanreqing Injection directly or indirectly regulated the pulmonary capillary endothelial cells and alveolar epithelial cells via anti-inflammation, thus alleviating ALI.
Acute Lung Injury/genetics* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; Endothelial Cells ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Molecular Docking Simulation

The present study explored the mechanism of Fagopyri Dibotryis Rhizoma(FDR) and its main active components in the treatment of acute lung injury(ALI) based on the network pharmacology and the in vitro experiments. The main active components of FDR were obtained from the TCMSP database and screened by oral bioavailability and drug-likeness. The related target proteins of FDR were retrieved from the PubChem database, and the target genes related to ALI were screened out from the GeneCards database. A protein-protein interaction(PPI) network of compound target proteins and ALI target genes was constructed using STRING 11.0. Ingenuity Pathway Analysis(IPA) platform was used to analyze the common pathways of the potential compound target proteins of FDR and ALI target genes, thereby predicting the key targets and potential signaling pathways of FDR for the treatment of ALI. Finally, the potential pathways and key targets were verified by the in vitro experiments of lipopolysaccharide-induced RAW264.7 cells intervened by epicatechin(EC), the active component of FDR. The results of network pharmacology showed that 15 potential active components such as EC, procyanidin B1, and luteolin presumedly functioned in the treatment of ALI through nuclear transcription factor-κB(NF-κB) signaling pathway, transforming growth factor-β(TGF-β) signaling pathway, and adenosine 5'-monophosphate(AMP)-activated protein kinase(AMPK) signaling pathway through key targets, such as RELA(P65). The results of in vitro experiments showed that 25 μmol·L~(-1) EC had no toxicity to cells and could inhibit the expression of the p65-phosphorylated protein in the NF-κB signaling pathway to down-regulate the expression of downstream inflammatory cytokines, including tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α), IL-1β and nitric oxide(NO), and up-regulate the expression of IL-10. These results suggested that the therapeutic efficacy of FDR on ALI was achieved by inhibiting the phosphorylation of p65 protein in the NF-κB signaling pathway and down-regulating the level of proinflammatory cytokines downstream of the signaling pathways.
Acute Lung Injury/genetics* ; Lipopolysaccharides ; NF-kappa B/metabolism* ; Rhizome ; Signal Transduction

OBJECTIVETo compare the change of lung tissue and vasopermeability between the vascular endothelial cells special cdc42-deficient heterozygous mice and the non-knockout mice in acute lung injury.

METHODSThe mice with vascular endothelial cell-specific expression of cre recombinase were crossed with cdc42(flox/flox) mice. The cdc42(flox/+)Cre(+/-) F1 offspring mice were crossed back with cdc42(flox/flox) mice, resulting in the F2 generation mice with three genotypes, namely cdc42(flox/+)Cre(+/-), cdc42(flox/flox)Cre(-/-) and cdc42(flox/+)Cre(+/-). The heterozygous mice with cdc42(flox/+)Cre(+/-) genotype were selected as the model mice, with the other two genotype groups as the control. After intratracheal instillation of 2 mg/kg LPS to induce acute lung injury, the mice were sacrificed to examine the lung pathologies, lung wet/dry ratio and lung microvascular permeability.

RESULTSThe heterozygous mice with cdc42 gene knockout (cdc42(flox/+)Cre(+/-)) showed no significant differences from the two control groups in the lung pathological score, lung wet/dry ratio or the lung microvascular permeability coefficient.

CONCLUSIONThere were no significant difference on lung tissue and vasopermeability between the vascular endothelial cells special cdc42-deficient heterozygous mice and the non-knockout mice.

Acute Lung Injury ; pathology ; Animals ; Capillary Permeability ; Endothelial Cells ; pathology ; Integrases ; genetics ; Lung ; blood supply ; pathology ; Mice ; Mice, Knockout ; cdc42 GTP-Binding Protein ; genetics

OBJECTIVETo investigate the changes in plasma level of interleukin-13 (IL-13) and the changes in the pulmonary IL-13 mRNA content and the pulmonary activator protein-1 (AP-1) activity of the rats inflicted with acute lung injury (ALI) induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS), so as to explore the relationship between IL-13 expression and AP-1 activity.

METHODSOne hundred and twenty Wistar rats were employed in the study and were randomly divided into A (2 mg/kg), B (4 mg/kg), C (6 mg/kg) and D (8 mg/kg) groups according to different dosage of LPS administration and a control group (NS group) at each observing time point. The rats were observed at 1, 2, 4 and 6 postburn hours (PBHs) and every 6 rats were deployed in every group and each time points. A model of systemic inflammatory response syndrome-acute lung injury (SIRS-ALI) was replicated in Wistar rats. The plasma content of IL-13 was assayed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and the pulmonary tissue content of IL-13 mRNA and AP-1 activity by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSA).

RESULTSThe plasma content of IL-13, pulmonary content of IL-13 mRNA and AP-1 activity increased simultaneously after LPS administration. All the above indices were significantly different statistically between the LPS groups and the control group (P < 0.05 - 0.01). The plasma level of IL-13 and pulmonary tissue mRNA content and AP-1 activity in A, B, C and D groups were increased significantly with peak levels at 2 PBHs.

CONCLUSIONThe pulmonary AP-1 activity increased with the enhanced expression of IL-13, which was related to the development of SIRS-ALI.

Acute Lung Injury ; metabolism ; Animals ; Endotoxins ; toxicity ; Female ; Interleukin-13 ; blood ; genetics ; physiology ; Lung ; chemistry ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Transcription Factor AP-1 ; analysis ; physiology

Acute Lung Injury ; chemically induced ; genetics ; immunology ; Animals ; Cytokines ; blood ; Gene Expression Regulation ; Lipopolysaccharides ; toxicity ; Lung ; metabolism ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; MicroRNAs ; analysis

OBJECTIVETo study the feasibility, efficiency and any benefits of recruitment maneuver (RM) in the facilitation of lung repair during recovery from ALI in acute lung injury (ALI) model of young piglets.

METHODSThe piglet model of ALI was established by an intravenous injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Twelve ALI piglets were randomly divided into two groups: conventional ventilation (CON) and RM with low tidal volume. Arterial blood gas, dynamic lung compliance (Cdyn) and systematic hemodynamics were monitored during the treatment. TGF-β1 levels in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and plasma were measured. The mRNA expression of TGF-β1 in the lungs was assessed by real time PCR. Lung tissue was examined for morphological changes.

RESULTSNo significant difference was observed in cardiac output and peripheral vascular resistance (PVR) between the two groups. The extravascular lung water index (ELWI) from 6 hrs after ALI inducement and the pulmonary vascular permeability index (PVPI) 8 hrs after ALI inducement in the RM group decreased significantly compared with the CON group. Cdyn in the RM group increased quickly 1 hr after ALI inducement, and there was a significant difference between the two groups (P<0.05). P/F (ratio of PaO2 to FiO2) in the RM group was significantly higher than in the CON group from 2 hrs after ALI inducement (P<0.05). Alveolar-to-arterial oxygen difference in the RM group was obviously lower compared with the CON group from 2 hrs after ALI inducement (P<0.05). The levels of TGF-β1 in plasma and BALF and the mRNA expression of TGF-β1 in the lung tissue were lower than in the CON group. Volume density of alveolar aeration in the RM group was significantly higher than in the CON group, and the injury score in the RM group was lower (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONSRM can improve gas exchange and Cdyn in the treatment of piglets with ALI. RM is a safe and effective approach to alveolar recruitment and can alleviate ventilation induced lung injury.

Acute Lung Injury ; pathology ; physiopathology ; therapy ; Aging ; Animals ; Disease Models, Animal ; Hemodynamics ; Lung ; pathology ; Male ; RNA, Messenger ; analysis ; Swine ; Transforming Growth Factor beta1 ; analysis ; genetics

To investigate the potential molecular markers and drug-compound-target mechanism of Mahuang Shengma Decoction(MHSM) in the intervention of acute lung injury(ALI) by network pharmacology and experimental verification. Databases such as TCMSP, TCMIO, and STITCH were used to predict the possible targets of MHSM components and OMIM and Gene Cards were employed to obtain ALI targets. The common differentially expressed genes(DEGs) were therefore obtained. The network diagram of DEGs of MHSM intervention in ALI was constructed by Cytoscape 3. 8. 0, followed by Gene Ontology(GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG) enrichment analyses of target genes. The ALI model was induced by abdominal injection of lipopolysaccharide(LPS) in mice. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid(BALF) was collected for the detection of inflammatory factors. Pathological sectioning and RT-PCR experiments were performed to verify the therapeutic efficacy of MHSM on ALI. A total of 494 common targets of MHSM and ALI were obtained. Among the top 20 key active compounds of MHSM, 14 from Ephedrae Herba were found to be reacted with pivotal genes of ALI [such as tumor necrosis factor(TNF), tumor protein 53(TP53), interleukin 6(IL6), Toll-like receptor 4(TLR4), and nuclear factor-κB(NF-κB)/p65(RELA)], causing an uncontrolled inflammatory response with activated cascade amplification. Pathway analysis revealed that the mechanism of MHSM in the treatment of ALI mainly involved AGE-RAGE, cancer pathways, PI3 K-AKT signaling pathway, and NF-κB signaling pathway. The findings demonstrated that MHSM could dwindle the content of s RAGE, IL-6, and TNF-α in the BALF of ALI mice, relieve the infiltration of inflammatory cells in the lungs, inhibit alveolar wall thickening, reduce the acute inflammation-induced pulmonary congestion and hemorrhage, and counteract transcriptional activities of Ager-RAGE and NF-κB p65. MHSM could also synergically act on the target DEGs of ALI and alleviate pulmonary pathological injury and inflammatory response, which might be achieved by inhibiting the expression of the key gene Ager-RAGE in RAGE/NF-κB signaling pathway and downstream signal NF-κB p65.
Acute Lung Injury/genetics* ; Animals ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Lipopolysaccharides ; Lung/metabolism* ; Mice ; NF-kappa B/metabolism* ; Network Pharmacology ; Receptor for Advanced Glycation End Products/metabolism* ; Signal Transduction

The purpose of this paper was to study the transcriptional regulation of nuclear respiratory factor 1 (NRF1) on nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), a key molecule in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced lung epithelial inflammation, and to clarify the mechanism of NRF1-mediated inflammatory response in lung epithelial cells. In vivo, male BALB/c mice were treated with NRF1 siRNA, followed with LPS (4 mg/kg) or 0.9% saline through respiratory tract, and sacrificed 48 h later. Expression levels of NRF1, NF-κB p65 and its target genes were detected by Western blot and real-time PCR. Nuclear translocation of NRF1 or p65 was measured by immunofluorescent technique. In vitro, L132 cells were transfected with NRF1 siRNA or treated with BAY 11-7082 (5 μmol/L) for 24 h, followed with treatment of 1 mg/L LPS for 6 h. Cells were lysed for detections of NRF1, NF-κB p65 and its target genes as well as the binding sites of NRF1 on RELA (encoding NF-κB p65) promoter by chromatin immunoprecipitation assay (ChIP). Results showed that LPS stimulated NRF1 and NF-κB p65. Pro-inflammatory factors including interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and IL-6 were significantly increased both in vivo and in vitro. Obvious nuclear translocations of NRF1 and p65 were observed in LPS-stimulated lung tissue. Silencing NRF1 resulted in a decrease of p65 and its target genes both in vivo and in vitro. In addition, BAY 11-7082, an inhibitor of NF-κB, significantly repressed the inflammatory responses induced by LPS without affecting NRF1 expression. Furthermore, it was proved that NRF1 had three binding sites on RELA promoter region. In summary, NRF1 is involved in LPS-mediated acute lung injury through the transcriptional regulation on NF-κB p65.
Acute Lung Injury/genetics* ; Animals ; Lipopolysaccharides/pharmacology* ; Male ; Mice ; NF-kappa B/metabolism* ; Nuclear Respiratory Factor 1/genetics* ; RNA, Small Interfering ; Transcription Factor RelA/metabolism*

Few studies have described the key features and prognostic roles of lung microbiota in patients with severe community-acquired pneumonia (SCAP). We prospectively enrolled consecutive SCAP patients admitted to ICU. Bronchoscopy was performed at bedside within 48 h of ICU admission, and 16S rRNA gene sequencing was applied to the collected bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. The primary outcome was clinical improvements defined as a decrease of 2 categories and above on a 7-category ordinal scale within 14 days following bronchoscopy. Sixty-seven patients were included. Multivariable permutational multivariate analysis of variance found that positive bacteria lab test results had the strongest independent association with lung microbiota (R² = 0.033; P = 0.018), followed by acute kidney injury (AKI; R² = 0.032; P = 0.011) and plasma MIP-1β level (R² = 0.027; P = 0.044). Random forest identified that the families Prevotellaceae, Moraxellaceae, and Staphylococcaceae were the biomarkers related to the positive bacteria lab test results. Multivariable Cox regression showed that the increase in α-diversity and the abundance of the families Prevotellaceae and Actinomycetaceae were associated with clinical improvements. The positive bacteria lab test results, AKI, and plasma MIP-1β level were associated with patients' lung microbiota composition on ICU admission. The families Prevotellaceae and Actinomycetaceae on admission predicted clinical improvements.
Acute Kidney Injury/complications* ; Bacteria/classification* ; Chemokine CCL4/blood* ; Community-Acquired Infections/microbiology* ; Humans ; Lung ; Microbiota/genetics* ; Pneumonia, Bacterial/diagnosis* ; Prognosis ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/genetics*

BACKGROUNDExposure of adult mice to more than 95% O2 produces a lethal injury by 72 hours. Nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) is a transcriptional factor that plays a key role in the modulation of cytokine networks during hyperoxia-induced acute lung injury (ALI). Osteopontin (OPN) is a phosphorylated glycoprotein produced principally by macrophages. Studies have reported that exogenous OPN can maintain the integrity of the cerebral microvascular basement membrane and reduce brain damage through inhibiting NF-κB activities in the brain after subarachnoid hemorrhage. However, it is not clear whether OPN can reduce lung injury during ALI by inhibiting transcriptional signal pathways of NF-κB and consequent inhibition of inflammatory cytokines. Thus we examined the effects and mechanisms of recombinant OPN (r-OPN) on ALI.

METHODSNinety-six mice were randomly divided into phosphate buffered saline (PBS) and r-OPN groups. Mice were put in an oxygen chamber (>95% O2) and assessed for lung injury at 24, 48, and 72 hours. Expressions of NF-κB, matrix metalloproteinases 2 and 9 (MMP-2 and MMP-9), and tissue inhibitors of MMP-2 and MMP-9 (TIMP-1, TIMP-2) mRNA in lungs were examined with RT-PCR. Expression and distribution of NF-κB protein in lungs were measured with immunohistochemistry.

RESULTSExposure to hyperoxia for 72 hours induced more severe lung injury in the PBS group compared with the r-OPN group. Expression of NF-κB mRNA in the PBS group exposed to hyperoxia for 48 and 72 hours was significantly higher than the r-OPN group (P < 0.05). With 72-hour exposure, expression of TIMP-1 mRNA in the r-OPN group was significantly higher than that of the PBS group (P < 0.05). Expression of TIMP-2 mRNA in the r-OPN group at 48 and 72 hours was significantly higher than those in the PBS group (P < 0.05). After 72-hour exposure, expression of NF-κB protein in airway epithelium in the PBS group was significantly higher than that in the r-OPN group (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONr-OPN can inhibit the release and activation of MMPs through inhibition of the expression of NF-κB and promotion of the expression of TIMPs, and alleviate hyperoxia-induced ALI.

Acute Lung Injury ; genetics ; metabolism ; Animals ; Hyperoxia ; metabolism ; physiopathology ; Matrix Metalloproteinase 2 ; genetics ; metabolism ; Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 ; genetics ; metabolism ; Mice ; NF-kappa B ; genetics ; metabolism ; Osteopontin ; genetics ; metabolism ; Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase-1 ; genetics ; metabolism ; Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase-2 ; genetics ; metabolism