Thalidomide Inhibits Adhesion Molecules in Experimental Acute Pancreatitis-Associated Lung Injury.

Preclinical Research The study evaluated the effect of thalidomide on adhesion molecule expression in acute pancreatitis-associated lung injury in rats. Acute pancreatitis was induced in rats by retrograde infusion of 5% sodium taurocholate into the bile-pancreatic duct, and thalidomide (100 mg/kg) was given daily by intragastric route for 8 days before this treatment. Serum lipase (LPS), protein levels in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSHpx), and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in lung were measured. Compared with the acute pancreatitis- group, lung histopathology, serum LPS, protein levels in BALF, SOD, GSHpx, and MDA levels, and the expression levels of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 and E-selectin mRNA and protein in rats given thalidomide were improved (P < 0.01). Thus, thalidomide may reduce the expression of adhesion molecules via inhibition of oxidative stress to alleviate acute pancreatitis-associated lung injury in a rat model. Drug Dev Res, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Ferric nitrilotriacetate (Fe-NTA)-induced reactive oxidative species protects human hepatic stellate cells from apoptosis by regulating Bcl-2 family proteins and mitochondrial membrane potential.

Reactive oxidative species (ROS)-induced apoptosis of human hepatic stellate (HSC) is one of the treatments for liver fibrosis. However, how ROS (reactive oxygen species) affect HSC apoptosis and liver fibrosis is still unknown. In our study, ROS in human HSC cell line LX-2 was induced by ferric nitrilotriacetate (Fe-NTA) and assessed by superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and methane dicarboxylic aldehyde (MDA) level. We found that in LX2 cells Fe-NTA induced notable ROS, which played a protective role in HSCs cells apoptosis by inhibiting Caspase-3 activation. Fe-NTA-induced ROS increased mRNA and protein level of anti-apoptosis Bcl-2 and decreased mRNA protein level of pro-apoptosis gene Bax, As a result, maintaining mitochondrial membrane potential of HSCs. Fe-NTA-induced ROS play a protective role in human HSCs by regulating Bcl-2 family proteins and mitochondrial membrane potential.

Thalidomide alleviates acute pancreatitis-associated lung injury via down-regulation of NFκB induced TNF-α.

AIMS: We studied the effect of thalidomide on NFκB-induced TNF-α in acute pancreatitis-associated lung injury in the rat. METHODS: Rats were intragastrically administered thalidomide (100mg/kg) daily for 8 days and then acute pancreatitis was induced by retrograde infusion of 5% sodium taurocholate into the rat biliopancreatic duct. Serum amylase (AMY), blood oxygen partial pressure (PaO2), ratios of lung wet/dry weight, and cytoplasmic IκBα and TNF-α protein and nuclear NFκBp65 protein were measured. Also, lung NFκBp65 and TNF-α mRNA were measured. RESULTS: Compared with the model group, the pathological score of the pancreas and lung, serum AMY, ratios of lung wet/dry weight, and lung NFκBp65 and TNF-α mRNA and protein of rats given thalidomide were decreased significantly (P<0.01), but PaO2 and IκBα protein was elevated significantly (P<0.01). CONCLUSION: Thalidomide may inhibit TNF-α expression via down-regulation of the NFκB signaling pathway to alleviate acute pancreatitis-associated lung injury in rats.