AhR Mediated Activation of Pro-Inflammatory Response of RAW 264.7 Cells Modulate the Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition
Pulmonary fibrosis, a chronic lung disease caused by progressive deterioration of lung tissue, is generated by several factors including genetic and environmental ones. In response to long-term exposure to environmental stimuli, aberrant tissue repair and epithelial cell-to- mesenchymal cell transit...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2022-10-01
|
| Series: | Toxics |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2305-6304/10/11/642 |
| _version_ | 1827645401578078208 |
|---|---|
| author | Padhmavathi Selvam Chih-Mei Cheng Hans-Uwe Dahms Vinoth Kumar Ponnusamy Yu-Yo Sun |
| author_facet | Padhmavathi Selvam Chih-Mei Cheng Hans-Uwe Dahms Vinoth Kumar Ponnusamy Yu-Yo Sun |
| author_sort | Padhmavathi Selvam |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Pulmonary fibrosis, a chronic lung disease caused by progressive deterioration of lung tissue, is generated by several factors including genetic and environmental ones. In response to long-term exposure to environmental stimuli, aberrant tissue repair and epithelial cell-to- mesenchymal cell transition (EMT) trigger the subsequent progression of pulmonary fibrotic diseases. The Aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) is a transcription factor that is activated by ligands providing lung dysfunction when activated by environmental toxins, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Our previous study demonstrated that AhR mediates α-SMA expression by directly binding to the α-SMA (fibroblast differentiation marker) promoter, suggesting the role of AhR in mediating fibrogenic progression. Here we follow the hypothesis that macrophage infiltrated microenvironments may trigger inflammation and subsequent fibrosis. We studied the expression of cytokines in RAW 264.7 cells by AhR activation through an ELISA assay. To investigate molecular events, migration, western blotting and zymography assays were carried out. We found that AhR agonists such as TCDD, IP and FICZ, promote the migration and induce inflammatory mediators such as TNF-α and G-CSF, MIP-1α, MIP-1β and MIP-2. These cytokines arbitrate EMT marker expression such as E-cadherin, fibronectin, and vimentin in pulmonary epithelial cells. Expression of proteins of MMPs in mouse macrophages was determined by zymography, showing the caseinolytic activity of MMP-1 and the gelatinolytic action of MMP-2 and MMP-9. Taken together, the present study showed that AhR activated macrophages create an inflammatory microenvironment which favours the fibrotic progression of pulmonary epithelial cells. Such production of inflammatory factors was accomplished by affecting the Wnt/β-catenin signalling pathway, thereby creating a microenvironment which enhances the epithelial-mesenchymal transition, leading to fibrosis of the lung. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T18:34:53Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-0dda4be60b244d1eb5b69f243a3118f9 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2305-6304 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T18:34:53Z |
| publishDate | 2022-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Toxics |
| spelling | doaj.art-0dda4be60b244d1eb5b69f243a3118f92023-11-24T07:09:34ZengMDPI AGToxics2305-63042022-10-01101164210.3390/toxics10110642AhR Mediated Activation of Pro-Inflammatory Response of RAW 264.7 Cells Modulate the Epithelial-Mesenchymal TransitionPadhmavathi Selvam0Chih-Mei Cheng1Hans-Uwe Dahms2Vinoth Kumar Ponnusamy3Yu-Yo Sun4Department of Medicinal and Applied Chemistry, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung City 807, TaiwanDepartment of Biomedical Science and Environmental Biology, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung City 807, TaiwanDepartment of Biomedical Science and Environmental Biology, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung City 807, TaiwanDepartment of Medicinal and Applied Chemistry, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung City 807, TaiwanInstitute of BioPharmaceutical Sciences, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung City 804, TaiwanPulmonary fibrosis, a chronic lung disease caused by progressive deterioration of lung tissue, is generated by several factors including genetic and environmental ones. In response to long-term exposure to environmental stimuli, aberrant tissue repair and epithelial cell-to- mesenchymal cell transition (EMT) trigger the subsequent progression of pulmonary fibrotic diseases. The Aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) is a transcription factor that is activated by ligands providing lung dysfunction when activated by environmental toxins, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Our previous study demonstrated that AhR mediates α-SMA expression by directly binding to the α-SMA (fibroblast differentiation marker) promoter, suggesting the role of AhR in mediating fibrogenic progression. Here we follow the hypothesis that macrophage infiltrated microenvironments may trigger inflammation and subsequent fibrosis. We studied the expression of cytokines in RAW 264.7 cells by AhR activation through an ELISA assay. To investigate molecular events, migration, western blotting and zymography assays were carried out. We found that AhR agonists such as TCDD, IP and FICZ, promote the migration and induce inflammatory mediators such as TNF-α and G-CSF, MIP-1α, MIP-1β and MIP-2. These cytokines arbitrate EMT marker expression such as E-cadherin, fibronectin, and vimentin in pulmonary epithelial cells. Expression of proteins of MMPs in mouse macrophages was determined by zymography, showing the caseinolytic activity of MMP-1 and the gelatinolytic action of MMP-2 and MMP-9. Taken together, the present study showed that AhR activated macrophages create an inflammatory microenvironment which favours the fibrotic progression of pulmonary epithelial cells. Such production of inflammatory factors was accomplished by affecting the Wnt/β-catenin signalling pathway, thereby creating a microenvironment which enhances the epithelial-mesenchymal transition, leading to fibrosis of the lung.https://www.mdpi.com/2305-6304/10/11/642Aryl hydrocarbon receptormacrophageinflammatory cytokinesepithelial mesenchymal transitionMMP-9Wnt/β-catenin |
| spellingShingle | Padhmavathi Selvam Chih-Mei Cheng Hans-Uwe Dahms Vinoth Kumar Ponnusamy Yu-Yo Sun AhR Mediated Activation of Pro-Inflammatory Response of RAW 264.7 Cells Modulate the Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition Toxics Aryl hydrocarbon receptor macrophage inflammatory cytokines epithelial mesenchymal transition MMP-9 Wnt/β-catenin |
| title | AhR Mediated Activation of Pro-Inflammatory Response of RAW 264.7 Cells Modulate the Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition |
| title_full | AhR Mediated Activation of Pro-Inflammatory Response of RAW 264.7 Cells Modulate the Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition |
| title_fullStr | AhR Mediated Activation of Pro-Inflammatory Response of RAW 264.7 Cells Modulate the Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition |
| title_full_unstemmed | AhR Mediated Activation of Pro-Inflammatory Response of RAW 264.7 Cells Modulate the Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition |
| title_short | AhR Mediated Activation of Pro-Inflammatory Response of RAW 264.7 Cells Modulate the Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition |
| title_sort | ahr mediated activation of pro inflammatory response of raw 264 7 cells modulate the epithelial mesenchymal transition |
| topic | Aryl hydrocarbon receptor macrophage inflammatory cytokines epithelial mesenchymal transition MMP-9 Wnt/β-catenin |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2305-6304/10/11/642 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT padhmavathiselvam ahrmediatedactivationofproinflammatoryresponseofraw2647cellsmodulatetheepithelialmesenchymaltransition AT chihmeicheng ahrmediatedactivationofproinflammatoryresponseofraw2647cellsmodulatetheepithelialmesenchymaltransition AT hansuwedahms ahrmediatedactivationofproinflammatoryresponseofraw2647cellsmodulatetheepithelialmesenchymaltransition AT vinothkumarponnusamy ahrmediatedactivationofproinflammatoryresponseofraw2647cellsmodulatetheepithelialmesenchymaltransition AT yuyosun ahrmediatedactivationofproinflammatoryresponseofraw2647cellsmodulatetheepithelialmesenchymaltransition |