Effect of menthol on hypobaric hypoxia-induced pulmonary arterial hypertension in mice and its mechanism / 中国药理学通报

Aim To study the effect of menthol on hypobaric hypoxia-induced pulmonary arterial hypertension and explore the underlying mechanism in mice. Methods 10 to 12 weeks old wild type (WT) mice and TRPM8 gene knockout (TRPM8

Research progress in the regulation of hypoxic pulmonary hypertension by hypoxia-inducible factor-1 signaling pathway / 中国临床药理学与治疗学

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a rare and severe progressive disease. It results from hypertrophic remodeling of distal pulmonary arterioles that increases pulmonary arterial pressure and pulmonary vascular resistance in the absence of left heart, pulmonary parenchymal, or thromboembolic disease. Hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) regulates a large number of genes related to the occurrence and development of PH, and induces pulmonary angiogenesis, cell proliferation and migration, cellular energy metabolism and utilization. HIF-1 is an important component of the pathogenesis of hypoxic PH and plays an important role in driving the pathological process of pulmonary vascular and right ventricular remodeling. This article systematically elucidated the role and regulation of HIF-1 in hypoxic PH and its potential in targeted therapy of PH.

Research progress on the mechanism of phenotypic transformation of pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells induced by hypoxia / 浙江大学学报·医学版

Phenotypic transformation of pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMCs) is a key factor in pulmonary vascular remodeling. Inhibiting or reversing phenotypic transformation can inhibit pulmonary vascular remodeling and control the progression of hypoxic pulmonary hypertension. Recent studies have shown that hypoxia causes intracellular peroxide metabolism to induce oxidative stress, induces multi-pathway signal transduction, including those related to autophagy, endoplasmic reticulum stress and mitochondrial dysfunction, and also induces non-coding RNA regulation of cell marker protein expression, resulting in PASMCs phenotypic transformation. This article reviews recent research progress on mechanisms of hypoxia-induced phenotypic transformation of PASMCs, which may be helpful for finding targets to inhibit phenotypic transformation and to improve pulmonary vascular remodeling diseases such as hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertension.

Alleviating experimental pulmonary hypertension via co-delivering FoxO1 stimulus and apoptosis activator to hyperproliferating pulmonary arteries

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is an insidious pulmonary vasculopathy with high mortality and morbidity and its underlying pathogenesis is still poorly delineated. The hyperproliferation and apoptosis resistance of pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMCs) contributes to pulmonary vascular remodeling in pulmonary hypertension, which is closely linked to the downregulation of fork-head box transcriptional factor O1 (FoxO1) and apoptotic protein caspase 3 (Cas-3). Here, PA-targeted co-delivery of a FoxO1 stimulus (paclitaxel, PTX) and Cas-3 was exploited to alleviate monocrotaline-induced pulmonary hypertension. The co-delivery system is prepared by loading the active protein on paclitaxel-crystal nanoparticles, followed by a glucuronic acid coating to target the glucose transporter-1 on the PASMCs. The co-loaded system (170 nm) circulates in the blood over time, accumulates in the lung, effectively targets the PAs, and profoundly regresses the remodeling of pulmonary arteries and improves hemodynamics, leading to a decrease in pulmonary arterial pressure and Fulton's index. Our mechanistic studies suggest that the targeted co-delivery system alleviates experimental pulmonary hypertension primarily via the regression of PASMC proliferation by inhibiting cell cycle progression and promoting apoptosis. Taken together, this targeted co-delivery approach offers a promising avenue to target PAs and cure the intractable vasculopathy in pulmonary hypertension.

Isoflurane Inhibits Pyroptosis of Human Pulmonary Artery Smooth Muscle Cells Through the Nrf2/HO⁃1/ROS Pathway / 中国生物化学与分子生物学报

Previous studies have demonstrated that isoflurane inhale anesthesia can effectively attenuate the ischemia-reperfusion-induced pulmonary hypertension (PAH), indicating a protective effect of isoflurane on pulmonary circulation. Pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMCs) play an important role in pulmonary vascular remodeling and PAH. The abnormality of PASMC structure and function may greatly contribute to the development of PAH. This study aims to explore the effects of isoflurane on hypoxia-induced PASMC pyroptosis and the underlying mechanisms, and to find potential therapeutic target for the treatment of PAH. PASMCs were cultured at 37 ℃, 5%CO

Overview of miRNA involved in PASMCs phenotypic switching in pulmonary hypertension / 中国药理学通报

Pulmonary hypertension ( PH) is occult, with no distinctive clinical manifestations and poor prognosis.Pulmonary vascular remodelling is an important pathological feature in which pulmonary artery smooth muscle cell ( PASMCs) pheno- typic switching plays a crucial role.MicroRNA (miRNA) is a class of evolutionary highly conserved single-stranded small non-coding RNA.Recently, an increasing number of scholars have found that miRNA can play an important role in the occurrence and development of PH by regulating the phenotypic switching of PASMCs, which is expected to be a potential target for the prevention and treatment of PH.It has been found that miR NA such as miR-221 , miR-24, miR-15b, miR-96, miR-23a.miR-9, miR-214, miR-20a can promote the phenotypic switching of PASMCs, while miRNA such as miR-21, miR-132, miR-182, miR-449, miR-206 .miR-124, miR-30c, miR-140.miR-17-92 cluster can inhibit it.This article aims to review the research progress on miRNA that mediates PASMCs phenotypic switching in PH from both growth factor-related miRNA and hy- poxia-related miRNA.

Research progress on hypoxia-induced imbalance of calcium homeostasis in pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells and its treatment / 中国药理学通报

Chronic hypoxic lung diseases are major causes of disability and mortality worldwide, which are typically aggravated by hypoxic pulmonary hypertension.The pathogenesis of hypoxic pulmonary hypertension is complex, and its mechanism has not been fully elucidated.The previous studies have shown abnormally elevated levels of free Ca + in the cytoplasm of pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells to be the predominant drivers of pulmonary hypertension , causing continuous contraction and remodeling of the pulmonary vessels.This article briefly summarizes the mechanism of hypoxia-induced imbalance in calcium homeostasis in pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells, together with its related drug research, based on the existing literature.Hypoxia induces an imbalance in calcium homeostasis in pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells by regulating hypoxia-inducible factor-1, K+ , store-operated calcium channel, receptor-operated calcium channel, the Ca +-sensing myosin contractile mechanism by binding to calmodulin, leading to pulmonary vasoconstriction.Ca + can also activate PKC/ MAPKs and PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathways, leading to pulmonary vascular remodeling.

Research progress on therapeutic strategies for improving pulmonary vascular remodeling in pulmonary hypertension / 中国药理学通报

Pulmonary hypertension(PH)is a chronic,progressive,high-mortality disease characterized by a continuous increase in pulmonary vascular pressure. All types of PH have the same characteristics,i.e.,the excessive proliferation,anti-apoptosis and inflammation of pulmonary artery endothelial cells and smooth muscle cells,which leads to progressive thickening of pulmonary small vessels,resulting in pulmonary vascular remodeling and increased pulmonary vascular resistance,ultimately leading to right ventricular hypertrophy,heart failure,and death. The drugs used to treat PH mainly include L-type calcium channel blockers,phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitors,guanosine cyclase activators,endothelin receptor antagonists,and synthetic prostacyclin and its analogues. These drugs reduce pulmonary artery pressure by relaxing pulmonary blood vessels but do not cure the patient,and their prognosis remains poor. Therefore,the development of drugs that can effectively improve or even reverse pulmonary vascular remodeling is the key to treating PH. In recent years,studies on pulmonary vascular remodeling mainly included(1)the synthesis of new small-molecule compounds;(2)the transformation of mature drugs,such as the use of drug combinations and dosage form transformation,etc.;(3)the pharmacodynamic evaluation of traditional Chinese medicines and derived compounds based on the theory of "lung distension";(4)research into monomers of traditional Chinese medicine; and(5)research into new targets.

let-7b-5p suppresses the proliferation and migration of pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells via down-regulating IGF1

Abstract Objectives Some previous studies indicated that the excessive proliferation and migration of Pulmonary Artery Smooth Muscle Cells (PASMCs) could be observed in pulmonary artery intima after Pulmonary Embolism (PE) occurred. In addition, recent studies identified some miRNAs that are differentially expressed in the blood of PE patients, which might be used as a diagnostic biomarker for PE, including let-7a-5p, let-7b-5p, and miR-150-5p. Hence, the authors sought to explore the effects of let-7b-5p in PASMC proliferation and migration and the corresponding regulatory mechanism. Methods Platelet-Derived Growth Factor (PDGF) was utilized to induce the hyper-proliferation model in PASMCs. The mRNA and protein expression levels were detected by RT-qPCR and western blot, respectively. The proliferation of PASMCs was evaluated by the detection of PCNA expression, as well as CCK-8 and Edu assays. Wound healing and Transwell assays were exploited to assess the migration ability of PASMCs. The targets of let-7b-5p were predicted based on two bioinformatics online tools. Dual-luciferase and Ago2 pull-down assays were applied to confirm the interaction between let-7b-5p and IGF1. Results 40 ng/mL PDGF was selected as the optimal concentration to induce PASMCs. let-7b-5p mimics suppressed the proliferation and migration of PDGF-induced PASMCs, while let-7b-5p inhibitor led to the opposite result. In further mechanism exploration, IGF1 was predicted and confirmed as the direct target gene of let-7b-5p. The promotion role of IGF1 overexpression on the proliferation and migration of PDGF-induced PASMCs was dramatically countered by let-7b-5p mimics. Conclusion let-7b-5p prohibits the proliferation and migration of PDGF-induced PASMCs by modulating IGF1.

The substitution of SERCA2 redox cysteine 674 promotes pulmonary vascular remodeling by activating IRE1α/XBP1s pathway

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a life-threatening disease characterized by pulmonary vascular remodeling, in which hyperproliferation of pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMCs) plays an important role. The cysteine 674 (C674) in the sarcoplasmic/endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ ATPase 2 (SERCA2) is the critical redox regulatory cysteine to regulate SERCA2 activity. Heterozygous SERCA2 C674S knock-in mice (SKI), where one copy of C674 was substituted by serine to represent partial C674 oxidative inactivation, developed significant pulmonary vascular remodeling resembling human PH, and their right ventricular systolic pressure modestly increased with age. In PASMCs, substitution of C674 activated inositol requiring enzyme 1 alpha (IRE1α) and spliced X-box binding protein 1 (XBP1s) pathway, accelerated cell cycle and cell proliferation, which reversed by IRE1α/XBP1s pathway inhibitor 4μ8C. In addition, suppressing the IRE1α/XBP1s pathway prevented pulmonary vascular remodeling caused by substitution of C674. Similar to SERCA2a, SERCA2b is also important to restrict the proliferation of PASMCs. Our study articulates the causal effect of C674 oxidative inactivation on the development of pulmonary vascular remodeling and PH, emphasizing the importance of C674 in restricting PASMC proliferation to maintain pulmonary vascular homeostasis. Moreover, the IRE1α/XBP1s pathway and SERCA2 might be potential targets for PH therapy.

Salidroside inhibits phenotypic transformation of rat pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells induced by hypoxia / 中国中药杂志

This study investigated the effect of salidroside on phenotypic transformation of rat pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells(PASMCs) induced by hypoxia. Rat pulmonary arteries were isolated by tissue digestion and PASMCs were cultured. The OD values of cells treated with salidroside at different concentrations for 48 hours were measured by cell counting kit-8(CCK-8) to determine the appropriate concentration range of salidroside. The cells were divided into a normal(normoxia) group, a model(hypoxia) group, and three hypoxia + salidroside groups(40, 60, and 80 μg·mL~(-1)). Quantitative real-time PCR(qRT-PCR) was used to detect the mRNA expression of cell contractile markers in each group, such as α-smooth muscle actin(α-SMA), smooth muscle 22(SM22), and calcium-binding protein(calponin), and synthetic marker vimentin. The expression levels of cell phenotypic markers and proliferating cell nuclear antigen(PCNA) were detected by Western blot. The proliferation of cells in each group was detected by the 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine(EdU) assay. Cell migration was measured by Transwell assay. As revealed by results, compared with the normal group, the model group showed decreased mRNA and protein expression of contractile phenotypic markers of PASMCs and increased mRNA and protein expression of synthetic markers. Compared with the conditions in the model group, salidroside could down-regulate the mRNA and protein expression of synthetic markers in PASMCs and up-regulated the mRNA and protein expression of contractile phenotypic markers. Compared with the normal group, the model group showed potentiated proliferation and migration. Compared with the model group, the hypoxia + salidroside groups showed blunted proliferation and migration of cells after phenotypic transformation. The results suggest that salidroside can inhibit the expression of synthetic markers in PASMCs and promote the expression of contractile markers to inhibit the hypoxia-induced phenotypic transformation of PASMCs. The mechanism of salidroside in inhibiting the proliferation and migration of PASMCs is related to the inhibition of the phenotypic transformation of PASMCs.

Effects of Puerarin on Hypoxia Induced Pyroptosis of Pulmonary Artery Smooth Muscle Cells Based on NLRP 3 Inflammasome / 中国药房

OBJECTIVE：To investigate the effects and mechanism of puerarin （Pue） on hypoxia-induced pyroptosis of pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells （PASMCs）. METHODS ：PASMCs of rats as research objects were randomly divided into normoxia group ，hypoxia group and hypoxia+Pue group （0.2 mmol/L）. Except for normoxia group ，other groups were cultured with 5％ CO2 and 3％ O2 at 37 ℃ for 24 hours to establish hypoxia model. Western blot assay was used to detect the expression of pyroptosis related proteins [NOD-like receptor protein- 3 （NLPR3），caspase-1，interleukin-1 β （IL-1 β），apoptosis-associated speck-like protein （ASC）]. Lactate dehydrogenase （LDH）release assay was used to detect the release of LDH in cells ；Hoechst 33342/PI double staining test was adopted to detect the proportion of pyroptosis positive cells. PASMCs was randomly divided into normoxia group+control plasmid group ，hypoxia+control plasmid group ，hypoxia+over-expression plasmid group and hypoxia+ over-expression plasmid+Pue group. Except for the normoxia+control plasmid group ，the other groups were established hypoxia model by the same method. After transfection of control plasmid or NLRP 3 over-expression plasmid ，Western blot ，LDH release test and Hoechst 33342/PI double staining test were used to investigate whether Pue could inhibit hypoxia-induced PASMCs pyroptosis by interfering with the activity of NLRP 3 inflammasomes. RESULTS ：Compared with normoxia group ，the expression of pyroptosis related proteins ，the release of LDH and the proportion of pyroptosis positive cells were increased significantly in hypoxia group （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. Pue had the effect of reversing the above indexes （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. When the NLRP 3 inflammasome was over-expressed ，the expression of pyroptosis related proteins ，the release of LDH and the proportion of Δ 基金项目：黑龙江省自然科学基金资助项目（No.ZD201416） pyroptosis positive cells were increased significantly （P＜0.05 ＊教授，博士生导师 ，博士。研究方向 ：心血管药理学 。电话： or P＜0.01）. Pue could inhibit the above phenomenon through 0451-58853046。E-mail：zhangxd85@163.com regulating NLRP 3 inflammasome （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. 中国药房 2021年第32卷第11期 China Pharmacy 2021Vol. 32 No. 11 ·1337· CONCLUSIONS：Pue can significantly inhibit the hypoxia-induced pyroptosis of PASMCs by down-regulating the expression of pyroptosis related proteins ，reducing the release of LDH and proportion of pyroptosis positive cells. The mechanism is related to the activity inhibition of NLRP 3 inflammasome.

MicroRNA-143–5p modulates pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells functions in hypoxic pulmonary hypertension through targeting HIF-1α

This paper explores the potential mechanism of microRNA-143–5p regulation effects on pulmonary arterysmooth muscle cells (PASMCs) functions in hypoxic pulmonary hypertension (HPH) via targeting HIF-1a,which may offer a new idea for HPH therapy. PASMCs were transfected with mimics control/miR-143–5pmimics or inhibitor control/miR-143–5p inhibitor. We used Western blotting and RT-qPCR to detect the proteinand mRNA expressions, CCK-8 assay to detect cellular viability, Annexin V-FITC/PI staining and caspase3/cleaved caspase-3 protein to evaluate cellular apoptosis, transwell migration experiment for cellularmigration measurement and Dual luciferase reporter gene assay to prove the target of miR-143–5p. Cells underhypoxic condition presented the decreased protein and mRNA expressions of a-smooth muscle actin (SM-aactin), Myocardin, smooth muscle myosin heavy chain (SMMHC), and smooth muscle-22a (SM22a),Calponin1 and Hypoxia-inducible factor-1a(HIF-1a), the increased cell viability and miR-143–5p level; Overexpression of miR-143–5p obviously reduced vascular smooth muscle-specific contraction marker proteinlevels and cellular apoptosis, increased cellular migration of PASMCs with hypoxia stimulation; Low-expression of miR-143–5p caused the opposite changes, while co-transfected with Si HIF-1a blocked thebeneficial effects of miR-143–5p inhibition on PASMCs under hypoxia. MicroRNA-143–5p can promote thephenotype conversion, proliferation and migration of pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells under hypoxiccondition through direct targeting of HIF-1a.

Effect of miR-34a on Proliferation of Pulmonary Artery Smooth Muscle Cells in Rats Induced by Hypoxia / 中山大学学报(医学科学版)

@#To observe the effect of miR-34a on the proliferation of pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells in rats induced by hypoxia and explore its possible mechanism.【Methods】Rat pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells were primarily isolated from pulmonary arteriole and cultured. After 3% O2 treatment，the expression of miR- 34a and Notch1 mRNA in rat PASMC were detected by real time PCR. The cell proliferation was detected by EDU after over-expression and inhibition of miR-34a and silencing Notch1 by cell transfection under hypoxia，and the expression of PCNA was detected by real time PCR and western blot method.【Results】We successfully isolated and cultured rat PASMC. And after 3% O2 treatment，the expression of miR-34a in rat PASMC was significantly decreased after 48 h compared with 24 h（P < 0.05）. However，the expression of Notch1 mRNA increased significantly after 48 h compared with 24 h（P < 0.05）. In addition， over-expression of miR-34a and silencing Notch1 significantly inhibited hypoxia-induced cell proliferation ，while inhibition of miR-34a significantly promoted the PASMC proliferation（P < 0.05）.【Conclusion】miR-34a participates in the proliferation of PASMC induced by hypoxia，and it may be through up-regulation of Notch1 to induce cell proliferation.

Role of Ca2+ in hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction / 中华危重病急救医学

In acute hypoxia, pulmonary vascular will contract and divert blood to better ventilated area to optimize ventilation/perfusion matching, which is known as hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction (HPV). In chronic hypoxia, irreversible pulmonary vascular remodeling can be induced, characterized by pulmonary artery middle smooth muscle cells and the outer fiber cell hyperplasia in luminal stenosis and pulmonary artery hypertension (PAH) eventually. Furthermore, PAH can cause increased ventricular afterload, and right heart failure in severe cases. Pulmonary artery smooth muscle cell (PASMC) elevated Ca2+ concentration is one of the most important factors of its contractions, proliferation and migration. Recent studies on Ca2+ promoting in HPV were summarized in order to provide evidence for clinical prevention of hypoxia and therapeutic PAH.

Epalrestat inhibits PDGF-induced proliferation of rat PASMCs by inhibiting aldose reductase expression / 中国药理学与毒理学杂志

OBJECTIVE To explore the inhibitory effects of epalrestat (EPS) on platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-induced rat pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells proliferation by inhibiting aldose reductase (AR) expression.METHODS Primary rat pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells (PASMCs) were prepared from the pulmonary artery of male 10-week-old Sprague-Dawley rats using explant method.PDGF 30 mg·L-1was given to induce cell proliferation.After PASMCs grew to 70%-80% conflu?ence, AR small-interferring RNA(ARsiRNA) was transfected with Lipofectamine 3000 into PASMCs. After 24 h,the expression and activity of AR were detected by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR),Western blotting and spectrophotometric method,respectively to investigate EPS on PASMCs proliferation and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and collagenⅠexpression induced by PDGF from in vitro. PASMCs (normal control, PDGF 30 mg·L-1, PDGF+EPS 1, 10 and 100 μmol·L-1,EPS 100 μmol·L-1)were treated according to groups.Cell proliferation was measured by BrdU marking and flow cytometry. The expressions of AR, PCNA and collagenⅠwere analyzed with RT-qPCR and Western blotting.RESULTS In cultured PASMCs,compared with normal control group, the application of exogenous PDGF-induced cell proliferation concomitantly up-regulated AR expres?sion and activity (P<0.01), and such effect was abolished by ARsiRNA. Compared with PDGF group, EPS attenuated PDGF-induced proliferation of PASMCs,expression of PCNA,and collagenⅠ(P<0.05, P<0.01),and the inhibitory effect of EPS was accompanied by inhibition of AR expression(P<0.05,P<0.01).CONCLUSION EPS inhibits PDGF-induced proliferation of PASMCs via inhibiting AR expression.

Alteration of tetraethylammonium-sensitive potassium current in pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells of pulmonary hypertension rats / 中国药理学通报

Aim To investigate the alteration of volt-age-depending potassium channel(KV) current in pul-monary arterial smooth muscle cells(PASMCs) of pul-monary hypertension (PH) rats, and the effect of tet-raethylammonium (TEA,a blocker of KV) on potassi-um channel current in different PH models. Methods The whole-cell patch clamp techniques were applied to record the KVcurrents from PASMCs cultured with Ham's F-12 (1% FBS). Furthermore, the effects of TEA on the KVcurrents were examined in different PH models. Results The whole-cell KVcurrents were ob-viously inhibited in PASMCs of chronic hypoxia (CH)and monocrotaline (MCT)-treated rats. TEA signifi-cantly decreased the whole-cell KVcurrents in PASMCs of control and PH rats,and the inhibitory effect of TEA was dramatically reduced in PH group. Conclusions The degree of the voltage-dependent potassium chan-nels opening is significantly inhibited in PASMCs of CH and MCT-treated rats,accordingly,the TEA-sen-sitive KVcurrents obviously decrease.

17β-estradiol Attenuates Hypoxia-induced Pulmonary Vascular Remodeling via Downregulating miRNA-21 Signaling Pathway / 中国循环杂志

Objectives: To explore the effect of 17β-estradiol (E2) on hypoxic pulmonary hypertension (HPH) and explore if the effects were mediated through suppressing pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMCs) proliferation by targeting miRNA-21 (miR-21). Methods: Animal experiment: A total of 32 healthy female SD rats with castrated surgery were randomly divided into 4 groups: normoxia group, normoxia+E2 group, hypoxia group, hypoxia+E2 group (n=8 each). The rats in normoxia+E2 group and hypoxia+E2 group received subcutaneous injection of E2 20 μg/kg/d, and the rest groups received subcutaneous injection of equal volume saline. The hypoxic groups were placed in the hypoxic chamber (24 hours per day for 8 weeks) to establish HPH model and normoxic groups were kept in the room air. The pulmonary artery remodeling, mean pulmonary artery pressure (mPAP), right ventricle hypertrophy index (RVHI) were observed. Real-time PCR and Western blot were used to detect the levels of proliferation cell nuclear antibody (PCNA) and miR-21 expression in pulmonary artery. In vitro: human pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (hPASMCs) were randomly divided into 3 groups: normoxia group, hypoxia group, hypoxia+E2 group. The levels of cell proliferation in each group were tested by MTT after 24 hours. Real-time PCR and Western blot were used to detect the levels of PCNA and miR-21 in cells. Results: Animal experiment: compared with normoxia group, the hypoxia group showed obviously thickened pulmonary artery wall, increased mPAP and RVHI, and significantly increased expression of miR-21 and PCNA (P<0.01);above changed were significantly attenuated in hypoxia+E2 group (P<0.01). In vitro: compared with normoxia group, the hypoxia group showed obvious proliferation and significantly increased expression of miR-21 and PCNA (P<0.01);compared with hypoxia group, the proliferation of hPASMCs and expression of miR-21 and PCNA were obviously reduced in hypoxia+E2 group (P<0.01). Conclusions: E2 could effectively reduce mPAP, attenuate the degree of right heart hypertrophy and pulmonary vascular remodeling, the protective effect may be mediated through downregulating miR-21 and PCNA expression, and subsequently inhibiting the proliferation of hPASMCs.

Effect of beraprost sodium on HPH rats and expression of oxygen-sensitive Kv channels in pulmonary artery smooth muscle / 西安交通大学学报(医学版)

Objective To explore the effect of beraprost sodium (BPS) on hypoxia-induced pulmonary artery hypertension (HPH) in rats and the expression of oxygen-sensitive Kv channels in pulmonary artery smooth muscle (PASM).Methods The HPH model of rats was established by exposing rats to low-pressure and low-oxygen cabin which was auto-modulated for 8h every day.Rats in the BPS group were given an intragastric administration of BPS [300 μg/(kg · d)],while those in the control group and HPH group were given an intragastric administration of 3 ml/kg of 0.9％ saline.After 4 weeks,the mean pulmonary artery pressure (mPAP) was measured and right heart ventricle hypertrophy index (RVHI) was calculated;pulmonary artery remodeling was evaluated by HE staining;the expressions of Kv 1.2,Kv 1.5 and Kv2.1 in the pulmonary artery were detected by Real-time PCR and Western blot.Results The HPH model was successfully established in rats exposed to chronic hypoxia for 4 weeks.Compared with those in HPH group,mPAP,RVHI and pulmonary artery remodeling were decreased in BPS group [mPAP:(13.48±2.18)mmHg vs.(23.87±2.23)mmHg vs.(17.09±1.20)mmHg;RVHI:0.28±0.02 vs.0.46±0.03 vs.0.36±0.04;％ area of medial smooth muscle:35.72±6.58 vs.68.52±5.64 vs.46.58±8.43;P＜0.05],and the mRNA and protein expressions of Kv 1.2,Kv 1.5 and Kv 2.1 were increased (relative protein expression level:Kv1.2,0.78±0.10 vs.0.15±0.03 vs.0.57±0.13;Kv1.5,0.61±0.10 vs.0.31±0.05 vs.0.59±0.13;Kv2.1,0.29±0.05 vs.0.10±0.02 vs.0.28±0.07;P＜0.05).Conclusion BPS can improve pulmonary arterial hypertension induced by hypoxia,and upregulate the decreased mRNA and protein expressions of Kv 1.2,Kv 1.5 and Kv 2.1 in pulmonary artery.

Effects of endogenous sulfur dioxide on the oxidative stress induced by cobalt chloride in the rat pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells / 中华实用儿科临床杂志

Objective To investigate the effects of endogenous sulfur dioxide (SO2) on the oxidative stress induced by cobalt chloride (CoCl2) in the rat pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMCs).Methods Rat PASMCs were treated with 200 μ mol/L CoCl2 to mimic the hypoxia insult.Endogenous SO2 generating enzyme aspartate aminotransferase 1 (AAT1) expression was upregulated or downregulated (AAT1 sh) by transfection with lentivirus.Rat PASMCs were randomly divided into 8 groups:vehicle group,vehicle + CoCl2 group,AAT1 group,AAT1 + CoCl2 group,scramble group,scramble + SO2 group,AAT1 sh group and AAT1 sh + SO2 group.SO2 donor Na2 SO3/NaHSO3 at concentration of 100 μ mol/L were added in scramble + SO2 group and AAT1sh + SO2 group.The expressions of AAT1,superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) and SOD2 in PASMCs were detected by Western blot method.In situ SO2 content in PASMCs was detected by fluorescent probe.The superoxide anions in PASMCs were labeled by dihydroethidium (DHE) probe under fluorescent microscope.Results Compared with the vehicle group,the levels of SO2 and the expressions of AAT1 (0.221 ± 0.002 vs.0.446 ± 0.004),SOD1 (0.076 ± 0.028 vs.0.171 ± 0.019) and SOD2 (0.080 ± 0.031 vs.0.196 ± 0.018) significantly decreased (all P ＜ 0.01),and superoxide anion increased in rat PASMCs of vehicle + CoCl2 group.Meanwhile,compared with vehicle + CoCl2 group,the levels of SO2 and the expressions of AAT1 (0.839 ± 0.056 vs.0.221 ± 0.002),SOD1 (0.177 ± 0.020 vs.0.076 ± 0.028) and SOD2 (0.195 ±0.018 vs.0.080-± 0.031) markedly increased (all P ＜ 0.01),and superoxide anion decreased in rat PASMCs of AAT1 + CoCl2 group.On the contrary,compared with the scramble group,the levels of SO2 and the expressions of AAT1 (0.062 ±0.017 vs.0.354 ±0.034),SOD1 (0.054 ±0.029 vs.0.157 ±0.023) and SOD2(0.180 ±0.100 vs.0.586 ± 0.176)significantly decreased (all P ＜ 0.01),and superoxide anion increased in rat PASMCs of AAT1sh group.Furthermore,compared with the AAT1 sh group,the levels of SO2 and the expressions of SOD1 (0.155 ± 0.022vs.0.054 ± 0.029) and SOD2 (0.578 ± 0.200 vs.0.180 ± 0.100) significantly increased (all P ＜ 0.01),and superoxide anion decreased in rats PASMCs of AAT1sh + SO2 group.Conclusion Endogenous SO2/AAT1 inhibits CoCl2-induced oxidative stress in rat PASMCs.