title: Diesel exhaust particles increase IL-1beta-induced human beta-defensin expression via NF-kappaB-mediated pathway in human lung epithelial cells.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Human beta-defensin (hBD)-2, antimicrobial peptide primarily induced in epithelial cells, is a key factor in the innate immune response of the respiratory tract. Several studies showed increased defensin levels in both inflammatory lung diseases, such as cystic fibrosis, diffuse panbronchiolitis, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and acute respiratory distress syndrome, and infectious diseases. Recently, epidemiologic studies have demonstrated acute and serious adverse effects of particulate air pollution on respiratory health, especially in people with pre-existing inflammatory lung disease. To elucidate the effect of diesel exhaust particles (DEP) on pulmonary innate immune response, we investigated the hBD-2 and interleukin-8 (IL-8) expression to DEP exposure in interleukin-1 beta (IL-1beta)-stimulated A549 cells.
  
  
  RESULTS
  IL-1beta markedly up-regulated the hBD-2 promoter activity, and the subsequent DEP exposure increased dose-dependently the expression of hBD-2 and inflammatory cytokine IL-8 at the transcriptional level. In addition, DEP further induced the NF-kappaB activation in IL-1beta-stimulated A549 cells more rapidly than in unstimulated control cells, which was showed by nuclear translocation of p65 NF-kappaB and degradation of IkappaB-alpha. The experiment using two NF-kappaB inhibitors, PDTC and MG132, confirmed that this increase of hBD-2 expression following DEP exposure was regulated through NF-kappaB-mediated pathway.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results demonstrated that DEP exposure increases the expression of antimicrobial peptide and inflammatory cytokine at the transcriptional level in IL-1beta-primed A549 epithelial cells and suggested that the increase is mediated at least partially through NF-kappaB activation. Therefore, DEP exposure may contribute to enhance the airway-responsiveness especially on the patients suffering from chronic respiratory disease.
authors.affiliation: Catholic Neuroscience Center, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul 137-701, Korea. gracenam@catholic.ac.kr
authors.forename: Hae Yun
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Nam
authors.forename: Eun-Kyung
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Ahn
authors.forename: Hyung Jung
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Young
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.forename: Chun Beoun
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Kyo Young
authors.initials: KY
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Val
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Vallyathan