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Regular Articles |
From the Facultad de Ciencias,*
UNAM, Coyoacán,
México; Department of Pathology,
Baylor
College of Medicine, Houston Texas; Michael Reese
Hospital,||
University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago,
Illinois; UAM,§
Unidad Xochimilco; Instituto
Nacional de Cancerología,
and
Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades
Respiratorias,¶
México
| Abstract |
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ß activation was explored. Oxidative stress significantly
increased the lung expression of nuclear transcription factor-
ß
(p65) protein, and nuclear transcription factor-
ß
activation and increased levels of gelatinases A and B were found in
isolated type II alveolar cells obtained from hyperoxic rats.
Conceivably, subacute hyperoxia induces excessive gelatinase
activity, which may contribute to lung damage.
| Introduction |
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The basement membrane plays a dynamic role in maintaining the integrity and differentiation of the alveolar epithelium. It has been suggested that early disruption of this structure may participate in the pathogenesis of lung fibrosis, enhancing the migration of fibroblasts and deposit of interstitial collagens into the alveolar spaces.4 In addition, disrupted basement membrane may also contribute to the failure to replace damaged alveolar type I epithelial cells after severe injury, which appears to be an important condition contributing to the progression to fibrosis.5,6
The lung basement membrane is a complex structure that includes type IV collagen, laminin, entactin, fibronectin, and heparan sulfate/chondroitin proteoglycans.7 The in vivo turnover of basement membrane has not been elucidated. At least two members of the matrix metalloproteinases family (MMPs), gelatinases A and B (MMP-2 and MMP-9), have been shown to degrade several components of the basement membrane.8,9 They are plausible candidates for its remodeling under physiological and pathological conditions. The substrate specificity of gelatinases includes denatured collagens (gelatin), native type IV collagen, fibronectin, and elastin.810. Characteristically, gelatinases are secreted as latent zymogens that can be activated in vitro by several proteases, including other MMPs such as stromelysin, matrilysin, and the membrane type 1 MMP, which has been shown to be a progelatinase A activator.11-13 MMPs are inhibited by specific tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs), and in addition, progelatinase A and progelatinase B form complexes with TIMP-2 and TIMP-1, respectively. The regulation of gelatinases by TIMPs is complex and occurs at different levels via not yet elucidated mechanisms.14,15 MMPs are expressed at low levels in normal adult tissues, and its up-regulation in several pathological conditions is modulated by a variety of cytokines through transcriptional and posttranscriptional mechanisms.16
Reactive oxygen species, as occurs in hyperoxia-induced damage,
modulate the function of some transacting molecules including nuclear
transcription factor-
B (NF-
B). NF-
B attaches to DNA in the
promoter regions of target genes as a dimer composed of two Rel family
proteins, p50 (NF-
B1) and Rel-A (p65).17,18
Under
unstimulated conditions, NF-
B is sequestered in the cytoplasm
through its interaction with the inhibitors I
B-
and I
B-ß, or
I
B-
.17
Once activated, NF-
B is able to regulate a
wide variety of inflammatory genes that may influence extracellular
matrix remodeling.19,20
To identify some of the molecular events associated with sublethal
hyperoxic injury, we set out to determine the activation of NF-
B and
the extent of participation of MMP-2 and MMP-9, as well as of TIMP-1
and TIMP-2, in rat lungs exposed to 85% oxygen.
We reasoned that excessive production of gelatinases might contribute to the pathogenesis of subacute hyperoxia-induced lung injury through the basement membrane breakdown.
| Materials and Methods |
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Pathogen-free male Sprague Dawley rats were purchased from Charles River Laboratories (Raleigh, NC). Twenty-four adult Sprague Dawley rats weighing 200 to 250 g were exposed to 85% O2 and maintained in a 68 x 99 x 83-cm forced-air environmental chamber with a 12:12-h light-dark cycle. Food and water were available ad libitum. Oxygen concentration in the chamber was continuously monitored with Oxycheck Critikon (McNeil Laboratories, Irvine, CA).
Six rats were sacrificed at 1, 3, 5, and 7 days, respectively. Room air-breathing rats were used as controls. Animals were anesthetized, and the right lung was instilled with 4% paraformaldehyde and used for in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry. The left lung was used for RNA extraction and Northern blot analysis.
Alveolar Epithelial Cell Isolation
In a parallel experiment, lungs from experimental and control rats were lavaged with 15 ml of sterile saline solution. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) was obtained to analyze gelatinolytic activity by zymography and by measuring [3H]gelatin degradation. Additionally, rat alveolar type II pneumocytes (AT2 cells) were obtained from rats exposed for 7 days to 85% O2 rats and from control animals as previously described.22,23 Briefly, the lungs were perfused via the pulmonary artery, lavaged, and digested with elastase, 30 U/ml (Worthington Biochemical, Freehold, NJ), for 20 minutes at 37°C. The tissue was minced and filtered through sterile gauze and 70-µm nylon mesh. The cell population was enriched for type II pneumocytes by panning the cellular suspension over a surface coated with rat immunoglobulin G to remove cells with Fc receptors. Viability and purity of the final cell preparation exceeded 90%. Fresh type II cells from experimental and control rats were used to prepare cytosolic and nuclear extracts for Western blot analysis and for electrophoretic mobility assays. The rest of the AT2 cells were cultured in Dulbecco's minimal essential medium containing 2 mmol/L glutamine, 100 U/ml penicillin G, 100 µg/ml streptomycin, and 10% fetal calf serum. Cells were seeded on tissue culture dishes at 2.5 x 105 cells/cm2 and incubated at 37°C in 5% CO2, 95% air. After 3 days in culture, cells were changed to serum-free medium for 24 h. Conditioned media (CM) were collected and stored at -20°C until assayed.
Gelatin Zymography
Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) polyacrylamide gels containing gelatin (1 mg/ml) were used to identify proteins with gelatinolytic activity from the BALF and from the alveolar epithelial cell CM. After electrophoresis, gels were placed in a solution of 2.5% Triton X-100 (two times for 15 minutes each), washed extensively with water, and incubated overnight at 37°C in glycine 100 mmol/L, pH 8.0, containing 10 mmol/L CaCl2 and 50 nmol/L ZnCl2. Identical gels were incubated but in the presence of 20 mmol/L ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA). Gels were stained with Coomassie Brilliant Blue R250 and destained in a solution of 7.5% acetic acid and 5% methanol. Zones of enzymatic activity appeared as clear bands against a blue blackground. Molecular weight of the gelatinolytic bands were estimated by using prestained molecular weight marker (Bio-Rad, Richmond, CA).
Gelatinolytic Activity Assay
Gelatinase activity was assayed as previously described24 using as substrate guinea pig skin collagen labeled with [3H]acetic anhydride denatured to gelatin by heating to 60°C for 20 minutes. Samples were activated with 1 mmol/L p-aminophenylmercuric acetate (APMA) (Sigma Chemical Co., St. Louis, MO) and incubated for 18 hours at 37°C. Gelatinolytic activity was calculated after background subtraction and is expressed as µg of gelatin degraded at 37°C for 18 hours.
Western Blot Assay
Cytosolic and nuclear extracts from fresh AT2 cells were prepared as previously described.25 Protein was quantified by the Bradford method, and equal amounts were loaded in a denaturing 8% polyacrylamide gel. Proteins were electrotransferred to polyvinylidene difluoride membranes and, after nonspecific sites were blocked with 5% nonfat milk in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), the proteins were incubated with 1 µg/ml of p65 rabbit polyclonal antibody (Santa Cruz Biotechnology, Santa Cruz, CA) for 2 hours. The membranes were incubated with anti-rabbit immunoglobulin G-horseradish peroxidase antibody (Amersham, Arlington Heights, IL) for 1 hour as recommended by the manufacturer, and antibody binding was determined using enhanced chemiluminscence (Amersham).
Electrophoretic Mobility Shift Assay
Nuclear extracts from freshly obtained AT2 cells derived from
control and hyperoxic rats were used. The probe used for this assay was
a double-stranded 29-bp oligonucleotide derived from the reported human
gelatinase B promoter.26
The sequence includes the NF-
B
binding site (TGGAATTCCCC) common to human, mouse, and rabbit genes
(the rat promoter for this gene has not been cloned) and adjacent
nucleotides (from -607 to -578). The probe was labeled using a
fill-in reaction with a Klenow fragment of DNA polymerase I using
[32P]dCTP and purified with conventional spin-column
chromatography.
To visualize DNA-protein complexes, binding reactions were carried out in a 20-µl volume of buffer B [20 mmol/L Hepes, pH 7.9, 60 mmol/L KCl, 20% glycerol, 0.25 mmol/L EDTA, 0.125 mmol/L ethylene glycol tetraacetic acid, 1 mmol/L dithiothreitol, 4 mmol/L MgCl2, 4 mmol/L spermidine, 200 mmol/L NaCl, 25 mg/ml bovine serum albumin, and 2 µg poly(deoxyinosinic-deoxycytidylic acid)] with 10 µg of nuclear extract on ice for 10 minutes. One ng of labeled double-stranded oligonucleotide (approximately 100,000 cpm) was added, and the reaction was incubated 30 minutes on ice. Complexes were resolved by electrophoresis on a 6% nondenaturing polyacrylamide gel. The gel was vacuum dried and exposed to film at room temperature for 12 hours. Competition was performed by adding 2.5, 25, and 250 mol/L excess of cold oligonucleotide sequence to binding reactions.
In Situ Hybridization
Riboprobes for in situ hybridization were generated as previously described27 from human cDNA gelatinase A provided by G. I. Goldberg (Washington University, St. Louis MO), a rat cDNA gelatinase B for the 3' region donated by J. Windsor (University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL), and mouse TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 cDNA provided by Dylan Edwards (University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada).
In situ hybridization was performed on 4-µm sections as previously described.27 Briefly, the sections mounted on silanized slides were incubated in 0.001% proteinase K (Sigma Chemical Co.) for 20 minutes at 37°C. After acetylation with acetic anhydride, the sections were prehybridized for 1 hour at 45°C in a hybridization buffer. The sections were incubated with the digoxigenin-labeled probes at 45°C overnight. Some sections were hybridized with digoxigenin-labeled sense RNA probe. After hybridization, the sections were rinsed in 2x standard saline citrate (SSC) for 1 hour at room temperature, 0.5x SSC with pancreatic RNase A at 65°C for 30 minutes, and 0.5x SSC for 1 hour at room temperature. The tissues were rinsed in PBS and incubated with a polyclonal sheep anti-digoxigenin antibody coupled to alkaline phosphatase (Boehringer Mannheim Co., Indianapolis IN) for 1 hour at room temperature. The color reaction was performed by incubation in 100 mmol/L Tris-HCl, 50 mmol/L MgCl2, pH 9.5, with 0.1 mmol/L levamisole, 0.338 mg/ml 4-nitroblue tetrazolium chloride, and 0.173 mg/ml 5-bromo 4-chloro 3-indolyl-phosphate or Fast Red chromogen (Biomeda Corp., Foster City, CA). Sections were lightly counterstained with eosin or hematoxylin.
Immunohistochemistry
Mouse monoclonal antibody against rat 95-kd type IV
collagenase28
was kindly provided by J. Windsor (University
of Alabama at Birmingham). Polyclonal antibody directed against an
epitope of the carboxy terminus of the Rel-A (p65) protein (C-20) and
polyclonal antibody directed against an epitope of the amino terminal
of the I
B-
protein (C-15) were used. (Santa Cruz Biotechnology).
Polyclonal antibody to type IV collagen from human placenta, which
cross-reacts with rat type IV collagen, was used to visualize basement
membranes (BioGenex, San Ramon, Ca) .
Tissue sections were deparaffinized and then rehydrated, and endogenous peroxidase was blocked by preincubation with 0.45% H2O2 in methanol for 30 minutes. Antigen retrieval was performed with 10 mmol/L citrate buffer, pH 6.0, for 5 minutes in microwave. For type IV collagen, tissue sections were digested with pepsin (BioGenex EK000-5K) at 37°C for 5 minutes instead of microwave antigen retrieval. Tissue sections were incubated with an antibody diluent with background-reducing components (DAKO, Carpinteria, CA) diluted 1:100 in PBS for 45 minutes. The sections were then incubated with 50 µg/ml of primary antibodies at 4°C overnight. A secondary biotinylated antibody (Vector Laboratories, Burlingame, CA), diluted 1:150, and avidin-biotin peroxidase complex were applied sequentially for 30 minutes followed by 3,3'-diaminobenzidine in PBS containing 0.045% H2O2 for 5 minutes. The sections were counterstained with hematoxylin. PBS was used to dilute the antibodies and to rinse sections between steps. The primary antibody was replaced by normal rabbit or mouse sera for negative control slides.
Before counterstaining, immunoreactive Rel-A and I
B-
intensities
were quantified using an image analyzer (Foster and Findley
Associates) with the PC Image version 2.1 software. After gray
calibration, 10 fields at x40 were analyzed, and the gray weight in
arbitrary was units determined. The statistical analysis was performed
using an unpaired Student's t-test.
RNA Isolation and Northern Blot Analysis
Total RNA from lung specimens was isolated with Trizol reagent (Life Technologies, Grand Island NY) according to the specifications of the manufacturer. Total RNA (15 µg/lane) was separated in 1% agarose-formaldehyde gels and transferred to Nytran membranes (Schleicher & Schuell, Keene, NH). The membranes were prehybridized at 42°C for 16 hours in 5x SSC, 50% formamide, 5x Denhardt's solution, and 0.5% SDS containing 100 µg/ml of denatured salmon sperm DNA. Hybridization was carried out at 42°C for 16 hours in hybridization buffer containing 50% dextran sulfate plus heat denatured 32P-labeled probe. Membranes were washed in 2x SSC-0.1% SDS at 42°C, followed by 0.25x SSC-0.1% SDS at 55°C, and 0.1x SSC-0.1% SDS at 65°C. Membranes were exposed to Kodak BIOMAX MS film at -70°C with an intensifying screen. Loading of RNA samples was monitored by assessing the mRNA level of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate-dehydrogenase (GAPDH, obtained from the American Type Culture Collection, Manassas, VA). Gelatinase A, gelatinase B, TIMP-1, TIMP-2, and GAPDH probes were radiolabeled with [32P]dCTP to specific activity of 200 x 106 dpm/mg using a multiprime DNA labeling kit (NEP-103; Dupont, Wilmington, DE).
| Results |
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BALF Gelatinolytic Activity
Gelatinolytic activity assessed on [3H]gelatin in
APMA-activated BALF was significantly increased at 5 and 7 days in 85%
oxygen-exposed rats (P < 0.01). In Figure 1
it can be observed that BALF from
hyperoxic rats digested gelatin approximately 2.5-fold more compared
with the controls. Gelatinolytic activity was inhibited up to 78% by
80 mmol/L 1,10-o-phenantroline.
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Gelatinase A and B Expression
Northern Blot Analysis
To define the time-course expression of MMP-2 and MMP-9, membranes
with total RNAs prepared from lung extracts were hybridized with the
specific cDNAs and the housekeeping gene GAPDH. Animals exposed
to 85% oxygen exhibited an increased expression of MMP-2 and MMP-9
mRNAs from the 3rd day on, as compared with controls. As seen in Figure 3, a
marked up-regulation was noticed,
especially on days 5 and 7, both for gelatinases A and B. When the
levels of these gelatinase transcripts were standardized by the level
of GAPDH mRNA, a~ 4-fivefold increase was noted for both MMPs.
|
The cellular source of gelatinase A and B mRNAs in the rat lung after hyperoxic exposure was examined by in situ hybridization at days 3, 5, and 7. Likewise, immunoreactive gelatinase B was analyzed by immunohistochemistry.
In lung sections from untreated controls, few cells were positive for
gelatinase A mRNA (Figure 4A)
. Animals
sacrificed at 3 days of oxygen exposure showed no apparent differences
with normal rats. At 5 days, but mostly at 7 days of oxygen exposure,
lungs exhibited a strong signal for gelatinase A (Figure 4B)
. MMP-2
mRNA transcript was observed in an interstitial localization, mainly in
areas of alveolar wall thickening. Alveolar macrophages were positively
stained, and additionally, label was also noticed in cells located in
the corners of alveoli, protruding to the alveolar spaces, which were
thus putatively identified as type II pneumocytes (Figure 4, B and C)
.
|
Using a specific monoclonal gelatinase B antibody, paraffin-embedded
tissues were also examined to immunolocalize MMP-9 protein. Gelatinase
B protein was barely detectable in lung sections from control rats
(Figure 5A)
. By contrast, a clear
immunoreactivity was observed at 5 and 7 days of 85% oxygen exposure,
thus paralleling in situ hybridization results. Gelatinase B
protein was observed in alveolar epithelial cells (Figure 5B)
, and a
strong signal was observed in areas of hyperplastic type 2 pneumocytes
(Figure 5C)
. Additionally, prominent labeling was seen in the
bronchiolar epithelium, localized in nonciliated bronchiolar cells
(Figure 5D)
. Controls using nonspecific antisera showed no reactivity
(Figure 5E)
. Tissue sections from rats exposed to 7 days of hyperoxia
revealed some discrete areas suggestive of basement membrane rupture
when explored with anti-type IV collagen antibody (Figure 5F)
.
|
To further examine the effect of 85% O2 on type 2
pneumocyte gelatinase production, alveolar cells from controls and 5
and 7 days hyperoxia-exposed animals were obtained. Gelatin zymography
of nonreduced serum-free CM revealed a constant major ~72-kd
proteolytic band, the latent form of gelatinase A, both in control and
experimental type II primary cultures (Figure 6
, lanes 1 to 4). When the control CM was
treated with APMA, the MMP-2/gelatinase A activity was partially
converted to a 66-kd active form (Figure 6
, lane 2). Primary cultures
of control type II pneumocytes also expressed low levels of a ~92-kd
gelatinase B activity (Figure 6
, lane 1), which was transformed to an
88-kd active form after APMA activation (Figure 6
, lane 2). After 85%
exposure, an increase in 92-kd gelatinolytic band was observed in AT2
cell-derived CM from lungs exposed to oxygen for 5 and 7 days (Figure 6
, lanes 3 and 4). CM of normal human lung fibroblasts used as control
showed 72-kd gelatinolytic activity (Figure 6
, lane 5). All
gelatinolytic bands were inhibited by 20 mmol/L EDTA (data not shown).
|
Northern Blot Analysis
TIMP-2 mRNA was constitutively expressed in control lungs
revealing two transcripts of ~1.0 and ~3.5 kb. No major changes
were observed in the time course injury induced by hyperoxic exposure
(Figure 7)
.
|
TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 Localization
In normal lungs, TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 transcripts were
mainly localized in alveolar and bronchiolar nonciliated epithelial
cells, and occasionally in interstitial cells (Figure 8, A and B)
. In oxygen-exposed rats,
mainly at 3 days of exposure, both inhibitors were additionally
strongly expressed by alveolar macrophages (Figure 8
C and D). No
signal was observed when tissue samples were hybridized with the sense
probes (Figure 8E)
.
|
B (p65) and I
B-
Protein Detection
Quantification of immunoreactive Rel-A (p65) protein with
an image analyzer revealed a significant and progressive increase from
the 3rd day on. As shown in Figure 9
, the
protein increased from 35% at 3 days after hyperoxia exposure to 454%
at the last time point analyzed (P = 0.003,
0.0006, and 0.0005 at 3, 5, and 7 days, respectively). NF-
B was
observed mainly in epithelial cells and macrophages,
thus exhibiting a pattern similar to that observed for gelatinase B
(not shown).
|
B-
when a polyclonal antibody directed against an epitope of the amino
terminal protein was used (data not shown).
To correlate these changes with the increase in the 92-kd gelatinase
activity, Western blot analysis of p65 protein was performed in freshly
isolated type II cells. As shown in Figure 10
, p65 protein levels were increased
in AT2 cells derived from 85% oxygen-exposed rats. This increment was
present in both cytosolic and nuclear fractions, reflecting an increase
in the total p65 protein levels. Also, the increase in the nuclear p65
suggests the presence of active NF-
B complexes. Electrophoretic
mobility shift assay was performed using an oligonucleotide with the
NF-
B site from the reported gelatinase B promoter. As shown in
Figure 11, a
specific increase in the
protein-DNA binding was demonstrated in freshly isolated type II cells
from 85% hyperoxic rats.
|
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| Discussion |
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In the well characterized rat model of 85% O2 exposure, in which animals suffer diffuse pulmonary injury, our findings revealed a time-dependent increase in the expression of mRNA for MMP-2 and MMP-9 throughout the lung, where particularly high levels were noted at 5 and 7 days of hyperoxia exposure. By contrast, TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 mRNAs were constitutively expressed, and only TIMP-1 exhibited a moderate increase in the lungs after hyperoxic injury as revealed by Northern blot. Increased expression of TIMP-1 has been previously reported in rabbit and murine lungs after 100% O2.31,32
The much greater increase in the abundance of the mRNA for gelatinases (from almost undetectable to strongly positive) than TIMPs suggests a major alteration in the balance between inhibitors and enzymes, thus favoring the degradation of a number of matrix macromolecules such as type IV collagen, elastin, and fibronectin. Supporting the presence of active gelatinases during sublethal hyperoxic injury is the finding that BALF revealed not only a clear increase of both gelatinases A and B, but a noteworthy abundance of the activated enzymes. Interestingly, it has been recently demonstrated that superoxide-derived metabolites increase gelatinase A activity.33
The metalloproteinases genes are stimulated by a variety of
biologically active agents, including growth factors, oncogenes, and
cytokines.34
During hyperoxia exposure, several cytokines
and growth factors are up-regulated, such as tumor necrosis factor-
and interleukin-1ß, which, among other actions, can activate NF-
B,
an oxidative stress-responding factor and an immediate early mediator
of immune and inflammatory responses.17,35,36
Accumulation
of p65 during lethal concentrations of hyperoxia has been reported
in vitro by Li et al,37
and the present study
extends this in vitro observation showing that at 7 days of
sublethal hyperoxia, a severalfold increase in the in vivo
lung expression of the p65 subunit of NF-
B occurs. Additionally, an
increase in the total p65 content in type II cells isolated from
hyperoxic rats was also found. Although the levels of the inhibitor
I
B-
were not significantly modified, it could be argued
that other members of the family could be participating in this model
given that it has been shown that I
B-ß and not I
B-
is
responsible for modulating NF-
B activation in long-term
activation.38
The activation of NF-
B by continuous hyperoxia could be modulating
directly gelatinase B expression, given that an NF-
B-like site is
found in all of the gelatinase B promoters cloned to date, which
includes the human, rabbit, and mouse genes.39-41
This
site has been found to cooperate with an activator protein-1-like
element in determining the full response to phorbol 12-myristate
13-acetate and cytokines in various cell lines.42
In
this study we found an increment in DNA-protein binding to the
gelatinase B promoter NF-
B site, supporting the notion of direct
participation of this transcriptional factor in the 92-kd gelatinase
induction.
Gelatinase A promoter seems to be very different from gelatinase B
promoter and from other metalloproteinases. No NF-
B site has been
identified in gelatinase A promoter, but recently a p53 binding site
has been reported, which can mediate gelatinase A transactivation after
DNA damage.43
We can hypothesize that, because NF-
B can
also transactivate p53,44,45
it would be able to indirectly
induce gelatinase A transcription. Interestingly, exposure of
mice to 95% hyperoxia has been shown to induce p53 expression,
particularly in distal bronchiolar airways and in AT2 cells, supporting
a putative participation of p53 transactivating function in the
hyperoxic injury.46
Our results support the notion that hyperoxia could affect cytokine
gene expression, and consequently MMP levels, via activation of
NF-
B/Rel nuclear regulatory factors. Activated NF-
B, in a
positive feedback regulation, may up-regulate cytokines such as
interleukin-1, interleukin-6, and tumor necrosis factor-
, which in
turn influence MMP expression. Actually, it has been demonstrated that
100% oxygen injury activates NF-
B, which precedes the
hyperoxia-induced increase in tumor necrosis factor-
and
interferon-
transcription.47
Tumor necrosis factor-
is able to induce gelatinase B production, contributing to increased
vascular endothelial permeability.48
Likewise, it has been
reported that short-term exposure to
- and
-interferons can
induce gelatinases A and B.49
Under pathological conditions, a number of different cells have been shown to contribute to the in vivo MMP production in lung parenchyma.25,50,51 During 85% lung exposure, we observed that gelatinase A mRNA was expressed mainly by interstitial and alveolar epithelial cells, whereas gelatinase B was localized in alveolar macrophages, nonciliated bronchiolar cells, and alveolar epithelial cells. The ability of type 2 pneumocytes to produce gelatinases was additionally assessed by obtaining alveolar epithelial cells from 85% O2-exposed rats. Our results showed that hyperoxia in vivo increases gelatinase production and corroborated previous findings demonstrating that type 2 pneumocytes obtained from normal rats secrete in vitro gelatinases A and B.22,52
Excessive gelatinase activity in the local lung microenvironment may result in abnormal extracellular matrix remodeling and basement membrane disruption, enhancing edema formation, inflammation, and fibroblast migration to the alveolar spaces. Actually, alveolar-capillary membrane remodeling, followed by alveolar wall thickening and interstitial fibrosis, is a well known sequela of hyperoxia-induced lung injury.
In human acute lung injury, an increase in BALF gelatinases A and B has been suggested to play a role in basement membrane disruption.53-55 Likewise, we have demonstrated that lethal exposure to 100% oxygen provokes a remarkable increase of gelatinolytic and collagenolytic activities both in BALF and in lung tissue.27 In the present study, some areas exhibiting basement membrane disruption were observed after 7 days of 85% hyperoxic injury. Interestingly, after 60 hours of 100% hyperoxia exposure,27 an up-regulation of gelatinases A and B is also revealed in a pattern similar to that observed after 7 days with 85% oxygen exposure, although the clinical and pathological behavior is different. Lung damage with 100% oxygen represents a lethal model of acute lung injury with denudation of the alveolar epithelium and edema. The 85% oxygen damage produces moderate morphological changes, with proliferation of the alveolar epithelial type II cells, with which animals survive, but a number of them may develop pulmonary fibrosis. Therefore, in two different lung responses that share O2 as the initial pathogenetic mechanism, an overexpression of gelatinases A and B occurs, suggesting that these metalloproteinases participate in some shared events. We postulate that abnormal degradation of basement membrane could be one of these events.
In this context, disruption of basement membrane appears to play a critical role in many human and experimentally induced diffuse lung disorders. Thus, in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and in adult respiratory distress syndrome, gaps in the distribution of type IV collagen and laminin, supporting basement membrane disruption, have been described early in the disease course.4 Moreover, morphometric studies of lungs with acute and proliferative stages of diffuse alveolar damage have shown that intraalveolar fibrosis develops in the early proliferative stage, in which activated myofibroblasts migrate into intraalveolar spaces through gaps in the epithelial basement membrane.56 Likewise, in bleomycin-induced lung damage, the presence of buds of intraalveolar fibrosis has been associated with discontinuous epithelial basement membranes.57
The findings of the present work support that both MMPs are up-regulated during a sublethal oxidative stress, which suggests an eventual pathway for lung fibrosis. The lung injury and repair process is a complex interplay between epithelial, endothelial, mesenchymal, and inflammatory cells, in which cytokines, growth factors, extracellular matrix, signals for programmed cell death, metalloproteinases and TIMPS actively participate, that is ultimately characterized by new extracellular matrix formation and tissue remodeling.
Clearly, no single mechanism is responsible for the progression of diffuse alveolitis to pulmonary fibrosis. A network of complex different factors must interact in the local microenvironment, finally resulting in exaggerated fibroblast proliferation and collagen accumulation. Our results suggest that the alteration in the balance of gelatinases A and B and of TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 may be part of this process.
| Footnotes |
|---|
Supported by PUIS & PAPIT grant IN202697 (UNAM), grant HL-48129 from the Department of Medicine, Michael Reese Hospital, and CONACYT grant F643-M9406.
Accepted for publication June 10, 1998.
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D. El Kebir, B. Hubert, R. Taha, E. Troncy, T. Wang, D. Gauvin, M. Gangal, and G. Blaise Effects of Inhaled Nitric Oxide on Inflammation and Apoptosis After Cardiopulmonary Bypass Chest, October 1, 2005; 128(4): 2910 - 2917. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
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E. L. Martin, L. A. McCaig, B. Z. Moyer, M. C. Pape, K. J. Leco, J. F. Lewis, and R. A. W. Veldhuizen Differential response of TIMP-3 null mice to the lung insults of sepsis, mechanical ventilation, and hyperoxia Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol, August 1, 2005; 289(2): L244 - L251. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
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N. D. Nader, B. A. Davidson, A. R. Tait, B. A. Holm, and P. R. Knight Serine Antiproteinase Administration Preserves Innate Superoxide Dismutase Levels After Acid Aspiration and Hyperoxia but Does Not Decrease Lung Injury Anesth. Analg., July 1, 2005; 101(1): 213 - 219. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
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A. E. Starr, T. Dan, K. Minhas, P. E. Shewen, and B. L. Coomber Potential Involvement of Gelatinases and Their Inhibitors in Mannheimia haemolytica Pneumonia in Cattle Infect. Immun., August 1, 2004; 72(8): 4393 - 4400. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
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M. Kohno, A. Ishizaka, M. Sawafuji, H. Koh, Y. Hirayama, E. Ikeda, T. Shiomi, A. Ohashi, Y. Okada, and K. Kobayashi Hyperoxia-induced emphysematous changes in subacute phase of endotoxin-induced lung injury in rats Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol, July 1, 2004; 287(1): L184 - L190. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |