title: Neuroepithelial body increases in bleomycin-treated mice.
abstract: Neuroepithelial bodies (NEBs) serve a niche for lung stem cells and proliferate in a variety of pulmonary diseases. We hypothesize that NEBs play an important role in lung injury repair processes, such as during pulmonary fibrosis. To test this hypothesis, we examined NEBs in a bleomycin-induced lung fibrosis mouse model. We divided FVB/NJ mice into bleomycin-treated (BL) and normal saline-treated (NS) groups. Two weeks after intravenous treatment, we immune-stained NEBs with anti-calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) in whole mount preparations and found that the number of NEBs per unit area of airway almost tripled in the BL group (1.11±0.28 number/mm(2); n=5) compared with the NS group (0.32±0.14 number/mm(2); n=4, p=0.001). The size of NEBs increased significantly in the BL group. Our findings support that NEBs play an important role in the pathogenesis of pulmonary fibrosis.
authors.affiliation: Robley Rex VA Medical Center, Louisville, KY 40206, United States; Pulmonary Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40292, United States. Electronic address: junliu0327@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Robley Rex VA Medical Center, Louisville, KY 40206, United States; Pulmonary Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40292, United States. Electronic address: nanasong1129@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Nana
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: Robley Rex VA Medical Center, Louisville, KY 40206, United States; Pulmonary Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40292, United States. Electronic address: shifu1219@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Shifu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.affiliation: Robley Rex VA Medical Center, Louisville, KY 40206, United States; Pulmonary Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40292, United States. Electronic address: j0yu0001@louisville.edu.
authors.forename: Jerry
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001761:Bleomycin; D055745:Bronchioles / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D015740:Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide / Q000378:metabolism; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D008168:Lung / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D046568:Neuroepithelial Bodies / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D011658:Pulmonary Fibrosis / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D014132:Trachea / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D001761:Bleomycin; D015740:Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide
keywords: Mouse; Neuroepithelial body; Pulmonary fibrosis