scholarly journals Regorafenib-Attenuated, Bleomycin-Induced Pulmonary Fibrosis by Inhibiting the TGF-β1 Signaling Pathway

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 1985
Author(s):  
Xiaohe Li ◽  
Ling Ma ◽  
Kai Huang ◽  
Yuli Wei ◽  
Shida Long ◽  
...  

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a fatal and age-related pulmonary disease. Nintedanib is a receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor, and one of the only two listed drugs against IPF. Regorafenib is a novel, orally active, multi-kinase inhibitor that has similar targets to nintedanib and is applied to treat colorectal cancer and gastrointestinal stromal tumors in patients. In this study, we first identified that regorafenib could alleviate bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis in mice. The in vivo experiments indicated that regorafenib suppresses collagen accumulation and myofibroblast activation. Further in vitro mechanism studies showed that regorafenib inhibits the activation and migration of myofibroblasts and extracellular matrix production, mainly through suppressing the transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1/Smad and non-Smad signaling pathways. In vitro studies have also indicated that regorafenib could augment autophagy in myofibroblasts by suppressing TGF-β1/mTOR (mechanistic target of rapamycin) signaling, and could promote apoptosis in myofibroblasts. In conclusion, regorafenib attenuates bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis by suppressing the TGF-β1 signaling pathway.

Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (15) ◽  
pp. 4491
Author(s):  
Hao Ruan ◽  
Jiaoyan Luan ◽  
Shaoyan Gao ◽  
Shuangling Li ◽  
Qiuyan Jiang ◽  
...  

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic, progressive interstitial lung disease with multiple causes, characterized by excessive myofibrocyte aggregation and extracellular matrix deposition. Related studies have shown that transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) is a key cytokine causing fibrosis, promoting abnormal epithelial–mesenchymal communication and fibroblast-to-myofibroblast transition. Fedratinib (Fed) is a marketed drug for the treatment of primary and secondary myelofibrosis, targeting selective JAK2 tyrosine kinase inhibitors. However, its role in pulmonary fibrosis remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the potential effects and mechanisms of Fed on pulmonary fibrosis in vitro and in vivo. In vitro studies have shown that Fed attenuates TGF-β1- and IL-6-induced myofibroblast activation and inflammatory response by regulating the JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway. In vivo studies have shown that Fed can reduce bleomycin-induced inflammation and collagen deposition and improve lung function. In conclusion, Fed inhibited inflammation and fibrosis processes induced by TGF-β1 and IL-6 by targeting the JAK2 receptor.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaohe Li ◽  
Yuli Wei ◽  
Jinying Gu ◽  
Jingjing Liang ◽  
Shimeng Li ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic, progressive and fatal interstitial lung disease with high mortality and limited treatment. So far, the only drugs approved for the treatment of IPF are Nintedanib and Pirfenidone. Zanubrutinib, a BTK small molecule inhibitor, is approved for the treatment of mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)/small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL). In this study, we explored the potential effect and mechanisms of zanubrutinib on pulmonary fibrosis in vivo and in vitro. Methods: In the in vivo experiments, different doses of zanubrutinib were administered in a mouse model of bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis, and pathological manifestations and lung function indexes were evaluated. The in vitro experiments were used a TGF-β1-treated fibroblast model to evaluate the effect of zanubrutinib on the activation and autophagy phenotype of fibroblasts and explored the underlying signaling pathways mechanism. Results: In vivo experiments proved that zanubrutinib effectively attenuated bleomycin (BLM)-induced pulmonary fibrosis in mice. In vitro mechanism study indicated that zanubrutinib could suppress collagen deposition, myofibroblast activation by inhibiting the TGF-β1/Smad pathway and induce autophagy through the TGF-β1/mTOR pathway. Conclusions: Zanubrutinib could alleviate bleomycin- induced lung fibrosis in mice by inhibiting the TGF-β1 signaling pathway.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (24) ◽  
pp. 6175-6188
Author(s):  
Yamato Tanabe ◽  
Shimpei Kawamoto ◽  
Tomoiku Takaku ◽  
Soji Morishita ◽  
Atsushi Hirao ◽  
...  

Abstract BCR-ABL, an oncogenic fusion gene, plays a central role in the pathogenesis of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). Oncogenic signaling induces oncogene-induced senescence and senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP), which is characterized by enhanced production of various cytokines. BCR-ABL gene transduction confers senescent phenotype in vitro; however, the in vivo relevance of senescence has not been explored in this context. Transplantation of BCR-ABL–expressing hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells caused CML in mice with an increase in bone marrow BCR-ABL+CD41+CD150+ leukemic megakaryocyte-lineage (MgkL) cells, which exhibited enhanced senescence-associated β-galactosidase staining and increased expression of p16 and p21, key molecules that are crucially involved in senescence. Moreover, knockout of p16 and p21 genes reduced both BCR-ABL–induced abnormal megakaryopoiesis and the maintenance of CML cell leukemogenic capacity, as evidenced by attenuated leukemogenic capacity at secondary transplantation. The expression of transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), a representative SASP molecule, was enhanced in the leukemic MgkL cells, and TGF-β1 inhibition attenuated CML cell leukemogenic capacity both in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, BCR-ABL–expressing MgkL cells displayed enhanced autophagic activity, and autophagy inhibition reduced bone marrow MgkL cell number and prolonged the survival of CML mice, which had transiently received the tyrosine kinase inhibitor, imatinib, earlier. Thus, BCR-ABL induced the expansion of senescent leukemic MgkL cells, which supported CML leukemogenesis by providing TGF-β1.


2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Farida Ahangari ◽  
Christine Becker ◽  
Daniel G Foster ◽  
Maurizio Chioccioli ◽  
Meghan Nelson ◽  
...  

Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic, progressive, and often fatal disorder. Two FDA approved anti-fibrotic drugs, nintedanib and pirfenidone, slow the rate of decline in lung function, but responses are variable and side effects are common. Using an in-silico data-driven approach, we identified a robust connection between the transcriptomic perturbations in IPF disease and those induced by saracatinib, a selective Src kinase inhibitor, originally developed for oncological indications. Based on these observations, we hypothesized that saracatinib would be effective at attenuating pulmonary fibrosis. We investigated the anti-fibrotic efficacy of saracatinib relative to nintedanib and pirfenidone in three preclinical models: (i) in vitro in normal human lung fibroblasts (NHLFs); (ii) in vivo in bleomycin and recombinant adenovirus transforming growth factor-beta (Ad-TGF-β) murine models of pulmonary fibrosis; and (iii) ex vivo in precision cut lung slices from these mouse models. In each model, the effectiveness of saracatinib in blocking fibrogenic responses was equal or superior to nintedanib and pirfenidone.


2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (8) ◽  
pp. 1934578X2094835
Author(s):  
Wenyue Zhuang ◽  
Na Zhao ◽  
Di Li ◽  
Xiaoming Su ◽  
Yueyang Wang ◽  
...  

There is no effective method for treating pulmonary fibrosis (PF) until now. This study investigated the anti-fibrotic effect of schisantherin A (SCA) extracted from Schisandra chinensis and its potential molecular mechanism in PF. A bleomycin-induced PF mouse model in vivo and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1-induced A549 epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) cell model in vitro were used for assessing the anti-fibrotic effect of SCA. Histopathological examination was conducted after hematoxylin and eosin and Masson staining. The level of TGF-β1 was tested by ELISA. The expression levels of α-smooth muscle actin, E-cadherin, and inflammatory cytokines (COX2, IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α) were determined by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and Western blot. The expression of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) was tested in lung tissues and cells by Western blot. The in vivo experiments revealed that SCA treatment markedly improved body weight and pulmonary index and reformed the destruction of the lung tissue structure. We observed that SCA inhibited the process of TGF-β1-induced EMT in the in vitro experiments. Inflammatory cytokines were reduced greatly in lung tissues and cells by SCA. Our study also indicated that SCA decreased phosphorylated ERK. It was concluded that SCA can attenuate PF by regulating the ERK signaling pathway, which suggests that SCA may be used as a potential therapeutic drug for PF.


2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Min Liu ◽  
Youwei Xu ◽  
Xu Han ◽  
Lianhong Yin ◽  
Lina Xu ◽  
...  

Abstract The present work aimed to investigate the activities and underlying mechanisms of dioscin against alcoholic liver fibrosis (ALF). In vivo liver fibrosis in mice was induced by an alcoholic liquid diet and in vitro studies were performed on activated HSC-T6 and LX2 cells treated with lipopolysaccharide. Our results showed that dioscin significantly attenuated hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) activation, improved collagen accumulation and attenuated inflammation through down-regulating the levels of myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88), nuclear factor κB (NF-κB), interleukin (IL)-1, IL-6 and tumour necrosis factor-α by decreasing Toll-like receptor (TLR)4 expression both in vivo and in vitro. TLR4 overexpression was also decreased by dioscin, leading to the markedly down-regulated levels of MyD88, NF-κB, transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and type I collagen (COL1A1) in cultured HSCs. Suppression of cellular MyD88 by ST2825 or abrogation of NF-κB by pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate eliminated the inhibitory effects of dioscin on the levels of TGF-β1, α-SMA and COL1A1. In a word, dioscin exhibited potent effects against ALF via altering TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signaling pathway, which provided novel insights into the mechanisms of this compound as an antifibrogenic candidate for the treatment of ALF in the future.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yufeng Yao ◽  
Yue Yuan ◽  
Zenghui Lu ◽  
Yunxia Ma ◽  
Yuanyuan Xie ◽  
...  

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive and irreversible interstitial pulmonary disease with a poor prognosis. The extract of Nervilia fordii (NFE) has shown remarkable benefit in the treatment of acute lung injury, lung cancer, and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). However, the potential mechanism and efficacy of NFE in the treatment of IPF remain unknown. In this study, a systematic network pharmacology analysis was used to predict the mechanism and efficacy of NFE in the treatment of IPF, based on the major components of NFE elucidated by UPLC-TOF-MS/MS. The potential molecular interactions between the compounds and potential targets were predicted using molecular docking. In vivo, rats with pulmonary fibrosis induced by a single intratracheal injection of bleomycin (BLM) were orally administered NFE for 14 days. Lung index and biochemical levels were determined, and histopathological analysis using hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and Masson staining was performed. The effects of NFE on fibroblast proliferation in Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and TGF-β1-induced mouse 3T6 fibroblasts were evaluated in vitro. In total, 20 components were identified in NFE, and 102 potential targets for IPF treatment were predicted. These targets potentially participate in processes regulated by transmembrane receptor protein tyrosine kinase, ERBB2, and et al. Molecular docking results predicted high affinity interactions between three components (rhamnazin, rhamnetin, and rhamnocitrin) and the potential targets, suggesting that TGF-β is the most important potential target of NFE in the treatment of pulmonary fibrosis. NFE significantly decreased the lung index and alleviated BLM-induced pulmonary fibrosis in rats. Histopathological observation of lung tissues showed that NFE alleviated inflammation and collagen deposition in BLM-induced rats. NFE inhibited the migration of LPS- and TGF-β1-induced 3T6 fibroblasts, reduced the contents of hydroxyproline and collagen, and contributed to anti-inflammation and anti-oxidation. With the intervention of NFE, the protein and RNA expression of TGF-β1, a-SMA, Smad3/4, p-Smad3/4, CTGF, and p-ERK1/2 were significantly downregulated, while Smad7 and ERK1/2 were upregulated significantly in vivo and in vitro. These findings indicated that NFE may exert therapeutic effects on pulmonary fibrosis by alleviating inflammation, oxidation, and collagen deposition. The mechanism related to the inhibition of the TGF-β/Smad signaling pathway.


2013 ◽  
Vol 24 (22) ◽  
pp. 3569-3576 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jarod Li ◽  
Marc S. Weinberg ◽  
Luiz Zerbini ◽  
Sharon Prince

The T-box transcription factor, TBX3, plays an important role in embryonic development, and haploinsufficiency of TBX3 causes ulnar–mammary syndrome. Overexpression of TBX3, on the other hand, is associated with several cancers, and preliminary evidence suggests that increased levels of TBX3 may inhibit cell proliferation but promote tumor migration and invasion. Although this suggests that deregulated levels of TBX3 are deleterious in development and promotes disease, very little is known about the signaling pathways that regulate TBX3 expression. Here we show that overexpressing TBX3 inhibits proliferative ability while promoting the migration of breast epithelial cells. We demonstrate that the transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1) pathway up-regulates TBX3 protein and mRNA levels and show a detailed transcriptional mechanism by which this occurs. Using in vitro and in vivo assays, we show that Smad3/4 and JunB bind and cooperatively regulate TBX3 promoter activity through a Smad-binding element at −67 base pairs. Further, we show that TBX3 plays a pivotal role in mediating the antiproliferative and promigratory role of TGF-β1 in breast epithelial and skin keratinocytes. This study identifies the TGF-β1 signaling pathway as a potentially important player in the regulation of TBX3 in development and cancer.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cailing Gan ◽  
Qianyu Zhang ◽  
Hongyao Liu ◽  
Guan Wang ◽  
Liqun Wang ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a lung disease with complex pathogenesis, high mortality. The development of new drugs is time-consuming and laborious, and the research on new use of old drugs can save time and clinical costs and even avoid serious side effects. Nifuroxazide (NIF) was originally used to treat diarrhoea, but in recent years it has been found to have other pharmacological effects such as anti-tumor and inhibiting inflammatory diseases related to diabetic nephropathy. However, there are no reports about its role in pulmonary fibrosis.Methods: The therapeutic effect of NIF on bleomycin (BLM)-induced pulmonary fibrosis in vivo was measured by ELISA, hydroxyproline content, H&E and Masson staining, IHC and Western blot. The content of immune cells in lung tissue was analyzed by flow cytometry. NIF cytotoxicity were evaluated in NIH/3T3, Human pulmonary fibroblasts (HPF), A549 and Rat primary lung fibroblasts (RPLF) using MTT assay. Finally, a cell model induced by transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) stimulation and different in vitro experiments (Immunofluorescence, Western blot, Wound migration assay) were conducted to determine the effect of NIF on the activation of fibroblasts and the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and migration of epithelial cells.Results: In vivo, intraperitoneal injection of NIF relieved and reversed pulmonary fibrosis caused by BLM bronchial instillation. In addition, nifuroxazide inhibited the expression of a variety of cellular inflammatory factors and immune cells. Furthermore, nifuroxazide suppressed the activation of fibroblasts and the EMT of epithelial cells induced by TGF-β1. Most importantly, we used an analytical docking experiment and thermal shift assay to further verify that nifuroxazide worked in conjunction with Stat3. Moreover, nifuroxazide decreased the expression of p-Stat3 in vitro and in vivo.Conclusion: These results suggest that NIF inhibits and reverses pulmonary fibrosis and support NIF as a viable treatment option that may bring benefits to patients with IPF.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiewei Lin ◽  
Zhiwei Xu ◽  
Junjie Xie ◽  
Xiaxing Deng ◽  
Lingxi Jiang ◽  
...  

AbstractAPOL1 encodes a secreted high-density lipoprotein, which has been considered as an aberrantly expressed gene in multiple cancers. Nevertheless, the role of APOL1 in the regulatory mechanisms of pancreatic cancer remains unknown and should be explored. We identified APOL1 was abnormally elevated in human pancreatic cancer tissues compared with that in adjacent tissues and was associated with poor prognosis. The effects of APOL1 in PC cell proliferation, cell cycle, and apoptosis was verified via functional in vitro and in vivo experiments. The results showed that knockdown of APOL1 significantly inhibited the proliferation and promoted apoptosis of pancreatic cancer. In addition, we identified APOL1 could be a regulator of NOTCH1 signaling pathway using bioinformatics tools, qRT-PCR, dual-luciferase reporter assay, and western blotting. In summary, APOL1 could function as an oncogene to promote proliferation and inhibit apoptosis through activating NOTCH1 signaling pathway expression in pancreatic cancer; therefore, it may act as a novel therapeutic target for pancreatic cancer.


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