Altered Redox Balance in the Development of Chronic Hypoxia-induced Pulmonary Hypertension

ROCK Inhibition as Potential Target for Treatment of Pulmonary Hypertension

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a cardiovascular disease caused by extensive vascular remodeling in the lungs, which ultimately leads to death in consequence of right ventricle (RV) failure. While current drugs for PH therapy address the sustained vasoconstriction, no agent effectively targets vascular cell proliferation and tissue inflammation. Rho-associated protein kinases (ROCKs) emerged in the last few decades as promising targets for PH therapy, since ROCK inhibitors demonstrated significant anti-remodeling and anti-inflammatory effects. In this review, current aspects of ROCK inhibition therapy are discussed in relation to the treatment of PH and RV dysfunction, from cell biology to preclinical and clinical studies.

Cancer antigen-125 levels correlate with pleural effusions and COPD-related complications in people living at high altitude

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the most frequently encountered progressive lung disease in clinical practice. This study sought to determine the predictive ability of the tumor biomarker cancer antigen-125 (CA-125) in the identification of COPD in a cohort of 284 patients with COPD living at high altitude (with an average elevation of over 2500 m).Patients were classified by pleural effusion volumes into 4 categories and serum CA-125 concentrations were measured in each category. The analyses revealed that CA-125 concentrations were positively and significantly correlated with pleural effusion volume. CA-125 concentrations were also positively correlated with pulmonary heart disease and acute exacerbations of COPD, and negatively correlated with pulmonary hypertension.The study evidence suggests that serum CA-125 concentrations are positively correlated with the risk of pleural effusions among patients with COPD living in high-altitude areas, and that CA-125 concentrations are also correlated with pulmonary heart disease, acute exacerbations, and pulmonary hypertension.

17β-Estradiol Promotes Apoptosis in Airway Smooth Muscle Cells Through CD38/SIRT1/p53 Pathway

17β-Estradiol (E2) is the major estrogen secreted by the premenopausal ovary and shows dual effects on cell apoptosis under pathological conditions. E2 was previously shown to increase CD38 mRNA and protein expression in myometrial smooth muscle, but its function and mechanism remain largely unknown. Here we investigated the role of E2 in hypoxia-induced apoptosis in mouse airway smooth muscle cells (ASMCs) and explored the underlying mechanisms. Results showed that E2 significantly increased CD38 expression at both mRNA and protein levels, accompanied with decreased SIRT1 levels in ASMCs. By using primary ASMCs from the wild type (WT) and the smooth muscle-specific CD38 knockout (CD38 KO) mice, we found that the down-regulation of SIRT1 induced by E2 was abolished in CD38 KO AMSCs. E2 promoted the acetylation of p53 in WT cells, and this effect was also diminished in the absence of CD38. In addition, E2 further activated CD38/SIRT1/p53 signal pathway and promoted cell apoptosis during hypoxia. However, these effects were reversed in CD38 KO ASMCs and by the specific SIRT1 activator Resveratrol. We also found that E2 enhanced CD38 expression through estrogen receptor. The data suggested that CD38 is a direct target for E2 which promotes hypoxia-induced AMSC apoptosis through SIRT1/p53 signal pathway.