Results suggest that ATF3 confers protection to lung injury by preventing inflammatory cell recruitment and barrier disruption in a cell-specific manner, opening novel opportunities for cell specific therapy for ALI/VILI.

Arctigenin (ATG) has been reported to possess anti-inflammatory properties. However, the effects of ATG on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute lung injury (ALI) remains not well understood. In the present study, our investigation was designed to reveal the effect of ATG on LPS-induced ALI in rats. We found that ATG pretreatment attenuated the LPS-induced ALI, as evidenced by the reduced histological scores, myeloperoxidase activity, and wet-to-dry weight ratio in the lung tissues. This was accompanied by the decreased levels of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), and interleukin-1 (IL-6) in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. Furthermore, ATG downregulated the expression of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) p65, promoted the phosphorylation of inhibitor of nuclear factor-κB-α (IκBα) and activated the adenosine 5'-monophosphate (AMP)-activated protein kinase (AMPKα) in the lung tissues. Our results suggested that ATG attenuates the LPS-induced ALI via activation of AMPK and suppression of NF-κB signaling pathway.

To investigate the potential regulation of sphingosine kinase 1 (SPHK1) on the migration, invasion, and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) expression in human rheumatoid arthritis fibroblast-like synoviocytes (RA-FLS). RA-FLS were transfected control siRNA or SPHK1 siRNA. The migration and invasion of unmanipulated control, control siRNA or SPHK1 siRNA- transfected RA-FLS in vitro were measured by the transwell system. The relative levels of SPHK1, PI3K, and AKT as well as AKT phosphorylation in RA-FLS were determined by Western blot. The levels of MMP-2/9 secreted by RA-FLS were detected by ELISA. Knockdown of SPHK1 significantly inhibited the spontaneous migration and invasion of RA-FLS, accompanied by significantly reduced levels of PI3K expression and AKT phosphorylation. Similarly, treatment with LY294002, an inhibitor of the PI3K/AKT pathway, inhibited the migration and invasion of RA-FLS. Knockdown of SPHK1 and treatment with the inhibitor synergistically inhibited the migration and invasion of RA-FLS, by further reducing the levels of PI3K expression and AKT phosphorylation. In addition, knockdown of SPHK1 or treatment with LY294002 inhibited the secretion of MMP-2 and MMP-9, and both synergistically reduced the production of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in RA-FLS in vitro. Knockdown of SPHK1 expression inhibits the PI3K/AKT activation, MMP-2 and MMP-9 expression, and human RA-FLS migration and invasion in vitro. Potentially, SPHK1 may be a novel therapeutic target for RA.

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