Mechanistic study of endothelial cell division cycle protein 42 in pulmo-nary vascular barrier injury during acute lung injury
10.3969/j.issn.1000-4718.2025.04.010
- VernacularTitle:内皮细胞分裂周期蛋白42在急性肺损伤所致肺血管屏障受损中的机制研究
- Author:
Wen XU
1
;
Jiafei LI
;
Fang WANG
;
Nanlin WU
;
Lilong QIN
Author Information
1. 安徽医科大学附属滁州医院(滁州市第一人民医院)呼吸与危重症医学科,安徽 滁州 239001
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
acute lung injury;
cell division cycle protein 42;
cadherin;
IQ motif-containing GTPase-activating protein 1;
angiogenesis
- From:
Chinese Journal of Pathophysiology
2025;41(4):704-713
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
AIM:This study aims to investigate the potential mechanism of cell division cycle protein 42(Cdc42)in acute lung injury(ALI).METHODS:(1)The levels of Cdc42 and IQ motif-containing GTPase-activating protein 1(IQGAP1)in ALI were analyzed using the Gene Expression Omnibus(GEO)database.(2)The plasma samples were collected from 30 patients diagnosed with ALI and 30 healthy controls between January 2022 and December 2023.The bronchoalveolar lavage fluid(BALF)from ALI patients was also collected.Eighteen male C57BL/6 mice were ran-domly divided into control(CON)group,lipopolysaccharide(LPS)group,and LPS+ML141(Cdc42 inhibitor)group,with 6 mice in each group.After 72 h,the mice were euthanized,and the BALF was collected for analysis,including cell enumeration and protein concentration determination using the bicinchoninic acid method.Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to measure the levels of Cdc42 and inflammatory cytokines[interleukin-6(IL-6),IL-1β and tumor necro-sis factor α(TNF-α)]in human plasma and mouse BALF.Lung damage in mouse tissue sections was evaluated by HE staining.(3)Mouse pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells(PMVECs)were isolated by magnetic bead-based cell sorting and were divided into CON,LPS and LPS+ML141 groups.Vascular ring formation assay was conducted to assess the an-giogenic potential of PMVECs,and calcium ion imaging technology was employed to measure calcium ion concentrations in PMVECs.The levels of reactive oxygen species(ROS)were assessed using a ROS detection kit.Western blot was uti-lized to analyze the protein levels of Cdc42,VE-cadherin,intercellular adhesion molecule-1(ICAM-1),myosin light chain(MLC),phosphorylated MLC(p-MLC)and IQGAP1 in PMVECs.RESULTS:(1)The GEO database analysis re-vealed significant up-regulation of Cdc42 expression in ALI model(P<0.01).(2)Clinical assessments showed markedly elevated plasma levels of Cdc42 and pro-inflammatory cytokines(IL-6,IL-1β and TNF-α)in ALI patients(P<0.01),with subsequent reductions after treatment(P<0.05).Neutrophil counts in the BALF of ALI patients were significantly in-creased.In ALI animal models,cell count,protein concentration and inflammatory mediator levels in BALF,and lung tis-sue damage scores were significantly elevated(P<0.01),all of which were notably reduced after treatment with Cdc42 in-hibitor ML141(P<0.05).(3)The PMVECs in LPS group exhibited significant increases in Cdc42,ICAM-1,p-MLC,IQGAP1,ROS,and calcium ion concentrations(P<0.01),alongside significant decreases in VE-cadherin expression and angiogenic capacity(P<0.01).All parameters were significantly improved after ML141 treatment(P<0.05).CON-CLUSION:The Cdc42 may influence IQGAP1 by modulating calcium levels in PMVECs,playing a critical role in pulmo-nary vascular barrier injury during ALI.
