Thomas KC, Roberts JK, Deering-Rice CE, Romero EG, Dull RO, Lee J, Yost GS, Reilly CA. Contributions of TRPV1, endovanilloids, and endoplasmic reticulum stress in lung cell death in vitro and lung injury. Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol 302: L111-L119, 2012. First published September 23, 2011 doi:10.1152/ajplung.00231.2011.-Endogenous agonists of transient receptor potential vanilloid-1 (TRPV1) (endovanilloids) are implicated as mediators of lung injury during inflammation. This study tested the hypothesis that endovanilloids produced following lipopolysaccharide (LPS) treatment activate TRPV1 and cause endoplasmic reticulum stress/GADD153 expression in lung cells, representing a mechanistic component of lung injury. The TRPV1 agonist nonivamide induced GADD153 expression and caused cytotoxicity in immortalized and primary human bronchial, bronchiolar/alveolar, and microvascular endothelial cells, proportional to TRPV1 mRNA expression. In CF-1 mice, Trpv1 mRNA was most abundant in the alveoli, and intratracheal nonivamide treatment promoted Gadd153 expression in the alveolar region. Treatment of CF-1 mice with LPS increased Gadd153 in the lung, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid, and lung wet-to-dry weight ratio. Cotreating mice with LPS and the TRPV1 antagonist LJO-328 reduced Gadd153 induction and LDH in BAL but did not inhibit increases in lung wet-to-dry ratio. In Trpv1 Ϫ/Ϫ mice treated with LPS, Gadd153 induction and LDH in BAL were reduced relative to wild-type mice, and the wet-to-dry weight ratios of lungs from both wild-type and Trpv1 Ϫ/Ϫ mice decreased. Organic extracts of blood collected from LPS-treated mice were more cytotoxic to TRPV1-overexpressing cells compared with BEAS-2B cells and extracts from control mice, however, most pure endovanilloids did not produce cytotoxicity in a characteristic TRPV1-dependent manner. Collectively, these data indicate a role for TRPV1, and endogenous TRPV1 agonists, in ER stress and cytotoxicity in lung cells but demonstrate that ER stress and cytotoxicity are not essential for pulmonary edema.capsaicin; lipopolysaccharides; lung injury; endovanilloids; transient receptor potential vanilloid-1 LUNG INJURY CAN ARISE FROM inflammatory responses elicited by diverse stimuli, including chemical exposures, trauma, endotoxic and hemorrhagic shock, sepsis, and burn injury (24,25,44,45). Limited advances in the treatment of lung injury and the more severe clinical manifestation, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), mandate a better understanding of the underlying biochemical processes that contribute to lung injury during systemic inflammation (24,44,45).Transient receptor potential vanilloid-1 (TRPV1) is a calcium-selective ion channel that is activated by capsaicin and its synthetic analog nonivamide as well as temperatures Ͼ42°C and H ϩ (pH Ͻ6.2 at 37°C) (7). TRPV1 also is purportedly activated by various inflammatory mediators, including hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S) (1, 5, 41), anandamide (AEA), 2-arachidonoyl glycerol (2-AG), leuk...