title: Calcitonin gene-related peptide mediates acid-induced lung injury in mice.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Acid-induced lung injury from aspiration is one of the most important causes of ARDS. Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) is a neuropeptide that has various biological actions. The current study investigated whether CGRP might have pathophysiological roles in acid-induced lung injury.
  
  
  METHODS
  The investigations employed CGRP gene-disrupted mice--mutant mice (CGRP(-/-)) and their littermate controls (CGRP(+/+)). Anaesthetized and mechanically ventilated mice received 2 mL/kg HCl (pH = 1.5) intratracheally. Lung wet-to-dry weight ratios were calculated to assess pulmonary oedema, total and differential cell counts of the BALF were determined, and measurements of myeloperoxidase activity were performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Acid-induced lung injury was characterized by an increase in lung permeability and respiratory failure. Disruption of the CGRP gene significantly attenuated acid-induced injury, oedema and respiratory failure.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study suggests that CGRP is involved in the pathogenesis of acute lung injury caused by acid aspiration and CGRP mutant mice may provide an appropriate model to study molecular mechanisms in this context.
authors.affiliation: Department of Geriatric Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan. takahide-tky@umin.ac.jp
authors.forename: Tomoko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Aoki-Nagase
authors.forename: Takahide
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nagase
authors.forename: Yoshio
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Oh-Hashi
authors.forename: Yukiko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kurihara
authors.forename: Yasuhiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yamaguchi
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.forename: Taiji
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nagata
authors.forename: Hiroki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kurihara
authors.forename: Yasuyoshi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ouchi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001992:Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid; D015740:Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide / Q000502:physiology*; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D020556:Neutrophil Infiltration / Q000502:physiology; D012128:Respiratory Distress Syndrome / Q000503:physiopathology*
chemical_list: D015740:Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide