American journal of physiology. Lung cellular and molecular physiology
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Am. J. Physiol. Lung Cell Mol. Physiol. · Apr 2007
Hydrogen sulfide acts as an inflammatory mediator in cecal ligation and puncture-induced sepsis in mice by upregulating the production of cytokines and chemokines via NF-kappaB.
Recent studies have implied that hydrogen sulfide (H2S) plays a crucial role in several inflammatory conditions. However, so far little is known about the mechanism by which H2S provokes the inflammatory response in sepsis. Thus the aim of this study was to investigate if H2S regulates sepsis-associated systemic inflammation and production of proinflammatory mediators via the activation of NF-kappaB. ⋯ In contrast, injection of NaHS significantly aggravated sepsis-associated systemic inflammation and increased NF-kappaB activation. In addition, H2S-induced lung inflammation was blocked by BAY 11-7082. Therefore, H2S upregulates the production of proinflammatory mediators and exacerbates the systemic inflammation in sepsis through a mechanism involving NF-kappaB activation.
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Am. J. Physiol. Lung Cell Mol. Physiol. · Apr 2007
Overexpression of human bone morphogenetic protein receptor 2 does not ameliorate monocrotaline pulmonary arterial hypertension.
Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is associated with mutations of bone morphogenetic protein receptor 2 (BMPR2), and BMPR2 expression decreases with the development of experimental PAH. Decreased BMPR2 expression and impaired intracellular BMP signaling in pulmonary artery (PA) smooth muscle cells (PASMC) suppresses apoptosis and promotes proliferation, thereby contributing to the pathogenesis of PAH. We hypothesized that overexpression of BMPR2 in resistance PAs would ameliorate established monocrotaline PAH. ⋯ Despite robust hBMPR2 expression in all lung lobes and within resistance PAs of treated rats, hBMPR2 did not lower mean PA pressure, pulmonary vascular resistance index, right ventricular hypertrophy, or remodeling of resistance PAs. Nebulized intratracheal adenoviral gene therapy with hBMPR2 reliably distributed hBMPR2 to resistance PAs but did not ameliorate PAH. Depressed BMPR2 expression may be a marker of PAH but is not central to the pathogenesis of this model of PAH.