title: [Role of toll-like receptor 4 in the asthmatic rat airway smooth muscle cells proliferation and apoptosis].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the role of Toll like receptor 4(TLR4) in the asthmatic rat airway smooth muscle cell (ASMCs) proliferation and apoptosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Established rat model of asthma,isolated and cultured rat ASMCs in asthma, using methods of small molecule RNA interference technology and lipofection method, for small molecule RNA-TLR4 transfection, detected proliferation of ASMCs by MIT minim colorimetry, apoptosis of ASMCs by TUNNEL, the expression of TLR4 protein and mRNA were detected by Western blot and RT-PCR in cells.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The proliferation of ASMCs in TNF-alpha group were significantly higher than that in control group and siRNA-TLR4 transfection group and TNF-alpha + siRNA-TLR4 transfection group respectively and the proliferation of ASMCs in siRNA-TLR4 transfction group was lower than that in control group. The apoptosis rate of ASMCs in TNF-alpha group was lower than that in control group, siRNA-TLR4 transfection group and TNF-alpha + siRNA-TLR4 transfection group respectively and the apoptosis rate of ASMCs in siRNA-TLR4 transfection group and TNF-alpha + siRNA-TLR4 transfection group were significantly higher than those in control group. The mRNA and protein expression of TLR4 in control group and TNF-alpha group were significantly higher than those in siRNA-TLR4 transfection group and TNF-alpha + siRNA-TLR4 transfection group. The mRNA and protein expression of TLR4 in TNF-alpha group were significantly higher than those in control group (P < 0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Activation of TLR4 may contribute to asthmatic airway smooth muscle cell proliferation, inhibiting apoptosis and play an important role in airway remodeling in asthma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Medicine, Hospital affiliated Guilin Medical College, Guilin 541001, China. weijianghong4321@163.com
authors.forename: Jiang-hong
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.forename: Bi-wen
authors.initials: BW
authors.lastname: Mo
authors.forename: Jian-wei
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Huang
mesh_terms: D056151:Airway Remodeling; D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D001249:Asthma / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D008297:Male; D032389:Myocytes, Smooth Muscle / Q000473:pathology*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering / Q000235:genetics; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D051197:Toll-Like Receptor 4 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014162:Transfection
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering; C495347:Tlr4 protein, rat; D051197:Toll-Like Receptor 4