Effects of P38MAPK on erythropoietin postconditioning attenuating pneumocyte apoptosis after lung ischemia/reperfusion injury / 中国药学杂志

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of P38MAPK on erythropoietin (EPO) postconditioning attenuating pneumocyte apoptosis after lung ischemia/reperfusion injury (LIRI) in rats. METHODS: Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 5 groups based upon the intervention (n=8); control group (C), LIRI group (I/R), LIRI+EPO group (EPO), EPO+solution countrl group (D), EPO+SB203580 group (SB). At the end of the experiment, blood specimens drawn from the arteria carotis were tested for the content of malondialdehyde (MDA), the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and myeloperoxidase (MPO). The histological structure of the left lung was observed under light microscope, and scored by alveolar damage index of quantitative assessment (IQA). The pneumocyte apoptosis index (AI) was achieved by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase mediated dUTP nick end a-beling (TUNEL). RESULTS: Compared with C group, in I/R group IQA, AI and MDA level, MPO activity were significantly increased, SOD activity was reduced (P<0.05 or P<0.01), and morphological abnormality occurred in lung tissue. Compared with 1/R group, IQA, AI and MDA level, MPO activity were significantly decreased, SOD activity was improved (P<0.05 or P<0.01), and morphological abnormality in lung tissue was obviously reduced in EPO, D and SB groups. There were no significant difference in all of the indexes between D and EPO groups (P≤0.05). However, compared with EPO group, SOD activity was increased (P<0.05 or P<0.01), the other indexes were obviously reduced, and the abnormal changes of the morphology in I/R were also improved markedly in SB group. CONCLUSION: EPO may attenuate pneumocyte apoptosis in LIRI by reducing oxidant generation, neutrophils filtration, then inhibiting activation of P38MAPK.