Role of IL-38 and MIP-2 in pulmonary fibrosis in rats / 中国免疫学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective: To investigate the expression of IL-38 and MIP-2 in lung tissue of rats with pulmonary fibrosis induced by bleomycin, and to explore the significance of IL-38 and MIP-2 in pulmonary fibrosis in rats. Methods: 45 Wistar rats were randomly divided into saline control group ( group N), bleomycin group ( group B) and dexamethasone group ( group D) according to the random and control principle. On the 7 th, 14 th, and 28 th day, 5 rats were killed in each group. The pathological changes of lung tissue were observed by hematoxylin-eosin ( HE) staining in lung tissue. The expression of IL-38 and HYP in lung tissue of rats was measured by enzyme linked immunoassay ( ELISA) and the expression of MIP-2 in lung tissue of rats was measured by RT-PCR method. Results: (1) HE staining showed that the lung tissue from group B and group D developed from normal to inflammatory changes to pulmonary fibrosis. (2) The expression of IL-38 in group B and D decreased gradually, and the decrease was most obvious at 28 th day, which was lower than that in group N ( P＜0. 05), and the expression of IL-38 in group B was lower than that in D group, and the difference was statistically significant ( P＜0. 05). (3) The expression of MIP-2 and HYP increased gradually in group B and D, which were higher than those in group N, and the difference was statistically significant ( P＜0. 05). The MIP-2 and HYP expressions in group B were higher than those of group D in the same period, and the difference was statistically significant ( P＜0. 05). Conclusion: IL-38 and MIP-2 play an important role in the occurrence and development of bleomycin induced pulmonary fibrosis in rats. The application of dexamethasone can improve the degree of pulmonary fibrosis in rats. The effect may be related to the up-regulation of IL-38 and the downregulation of MIP-2.