title: Requirement for inducible nitric oxide synthase in chronic allergen exposure-induced pulmonary fibrosis but not inflammation.
abstract: The role of inducible NO synthase (iNOS) in allergic airway inflammation remains elusive. We tested the hypothesis that iNOS plays different roles during acute versus chronic airway inflammation. Acute and chronic mouse models of OVA-induced airway inflammation were used to conduct the study. We showed that iNOS deletion was associated with a reduction in eosinophilia, mucus hypersecretion, and IL-5 and IL-13 production upon the acute protocol. Such protection was completely abolished upon the chronic protocol. Interestingly, pulmonary fibrosis observed in wild-type mice under the chronic protocol was completely absent in iNOS(-/-) mice despite persistent IL-5 and IL-13 production, suggesting that these cytokines were insufficient for pulmonary fibrosis. Such protection was associated with reduced collagen synthesis and indirect but severe TGF-beta modulation as confirmed using primary lung smooth muscle cells. Although activation of matrix metalloproteinase-2/-9 exhibited little change, the large tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-2 (TIMP-2) increase detected in wild-type mice was absent in the iNOS(-/-) counterparts. The regulatory effect of iNOS on TIMP-2 may be mediated by peroxynitrite, as the latter reversed TIMP-2 expression in iNOS(-/-) lung smooth muscle cells and fibroblasts, suggesting that the iNOS-TIMP-2 link may explain the protective effect of iNOS-knockout against pulmonary fibrosis. Analysis of lung sections from chronically OVA-exposed iNOS(-/-) mice revealed evidence of residual but significant protein nitration, prevalent oxidative DNA damage, and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 activation. Such tissue damage, inflammatory cell recruitment, and mucus hypersecretion may be associated with substantial arginase expression and activity. The results in this study exemplify the complexity of the role of iNOS in asthma and the preservation of its potential as a therapeutic a target.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA. anaura@lsuhsc.edu
authors.forename: Amarjit S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Naura
authors.forename: Mourad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zerfaoui
authors.forename: Hogyoung
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Zakaria Y
authors.initials: ZY
authors.lastname: Abd Elmageed
authors.forename: Paulo C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Rodriguez
authors.forename: Chetan P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Hans
authors.forename: Jihang
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ju
authors.forename: Youssef
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Errami
authors.forename: Jiwon
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Augusto C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Ochoa
authors.forename: A Hamid
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Boulares
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000485:Allergens / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000633:toxicity; D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002645:Chickens; D004802:Eosinophilia / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control; D017353:Gene Deletion; D007249:Inflammation / Q000201:enzymology / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D018836:Inflammation Mediators / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D018793:Interleukin-13 / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000096:biosynthesis; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D009093:Mucus / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D052247:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000172:deficiency* / Q000502:physiology*; D010047:Ovalbumin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000633:toxicity; D011658:Pulmonary Fibrosis / Q000201:enzymology / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D000485:Allergens; D018836:Inflammation Mediators; D018793:Interleukin-13; D010047:Ovalbumin; D052247:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II; C496317:Nos2 protein, mouse