Pulmonary antifibrotic mechanisms aspirin-triggered lipoxin A(4) synthetic analog

Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol. 2013 Dec;49(6):1029-37. doi: 10.1165/rcmb.2012-0462OC.

Abstract

No successful therapies are available for pulmonary fibrosis, indicating the need for new treatments. Lipoxins and their 15-epimers, aspirin-triggered lipoxins (ATL), present potent antiinflammatory and proresolution effects (Martins et al., J Immunol 2009;182:5374-5381). We show that ATLa, an ATL synthetic analog, therapeutically reversed a well-established pulmonary fibrotic process induced by bleomycin (BLM) in mice. We investigated the mechanisms involved in its effect and found that systemic treatment with ATLa 1 week after BLM instillation considerably reversed the inflammatory response, total collagen and collagen type 1 deposition, vascular endothelial growth factor, and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β expression in the lung and restored surfactant protein C expression levels. ATLa also inhibited BLM-induced apoptosis and cellular accumulation in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and in the lung parenchyma as evaluated by light microscopy and flow cytometry (Ly6G(+), F4/80(+), CD11c(+), CD4(+), and B220(+) cells) assays. Moreover, ATLa inhibited the lung production of IL-1β, IL-17, TNF-α, and TGF-β induced by BLM-challenged mice. ATLa restored the balance of inducible nitric oxide synthase-positive and arginase-positive cells in the lungs, suggesting a prevalence of M2 versus M1 macrophages. Together, these effects improved pulmonary mechanics because ATLa treatment brought to normal levels lung resistance and elastance, which were clearly altered at 7 days after BLM challenge. Our findings support ATLa as a promising therapeutic agent to treat lung fibrosis.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Arginase / metabolism
  • Aspirin / therapeutic use
  • Biomarkers / metabolism
  • Bleomycin / toxicity
  • Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / cytology
  • Cell Count
  • Cytokines / biosynthesis
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins
  • Lipoxins / therapeutic use*
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II / metabolism
  • Peptides / metabolism
  • Pulmonary Fibrosis / drug therapy*
  • Pulmonary Fibrosis / pathology
  • Pulmonary Fibrosis / physiopathology
  • Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Protein C
  • Respiratory Mechanics / drug effects
  • Transforming Growth Factor beta / metabolism
  • Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / metabolism

Substances

  • 16-(4-fluoro)phenoxylipoxin A4 methyl ester
  • Biomarkers
  • Cytokines
  • Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins
  • Lipoxins
  • Peptides
  • Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Protein C
  • Sftpc protein, mouse
  • Transforming Growth Factor beta
  • Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A
  • vascular endothelial growth factor A, mouse
  • Bleomycin
  • Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II
  • Nos2 protein, mouse
  • Arginase
  • Aspirin