Abstract. The aim of the present study was to observe the expression of sonic hedgehog (Shh) and Ptc signaling molecules in the lungs of newborn rats exposed to prolonged hyperoxia, and to explore the role of the SHH signaling pathway in hyperoxia-induced lung injury. Newborn Sprague-Dawley rat pups were placed in chambers containing room air or oxygen above 95% for 14 days following birth. The rats were sacrificed after 3, 7 or 14 days and their lungs were removed. Sections were fixed and subjected to hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining. Shh and Ptc1 were quantitated by immunohistochemistry. The total RNA and protein were also extracted from lung tissue; realtime PCR (RT-PCR) and western blot analysis were utilized to assess the mRNA and protein expression of Shh and Ptc1. H&E staining demonstrated significant histomorphological changes in the hyperoxia-exposed lungs at 3, 7 and 14 days of age. The results of the immunohistochemistry, RT-PCR and western blot analysis demonstrated that the expression of Shh was significantly higher in the hyperoxia-exposed lungs at 3, 7 and 14 days, while Ptc1 was significantly elevated at 7 and 14 days. Exposure of the neonatal rat lung to prolonged hyperoxia resulted in acute lung injury and histomorphological changes. Shh and Ptc1 were upregulated in a time-dependent manner in the course of hyperoxia-induced lung injury. The SHH signal pathway may be involved in the pathogenesis of hyperoxia-induced lung injury. This is the first evidence that in vivo hyperoxia induces activation of the SHH signal transduction pathway in newborn lung.
IntroductionAs an important therapeutic intervention, high supplemental oxygen concentrations are often administered to neonates with respiratory diseases, including hyaline membrane disease, persistent pulmonary hypertension and others. High concentrations of oxygen are known to cause acute lung injury (ALI) and bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). Prolonged exposure to hyperoxia can also result in severe epithelial and endothelial damage (1). Oxidative stress plays a role in the pathogenesis of ALI. Despite major advances in our understanding of the mechanisms leading to ALI, this condition remains a problem.Lung alveolar interstitial fibroblasts and their communication with adjacent epithelial cells are important in lung development and injury/repair (2). The molecular mechanisms responsible for alterations of ALI have been extensively studied and a number of signaling pathways, including the JAK/STAT (3,4), PI3 kinase/Akt (5,6) and mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways (7-9), have been demonstrated to be important under a number of conditions.The SHH signaling pathway consists chiefly of Shh, Ptc1, Smo, Gli1, Gli2 and Gli3 molecules. It has long been recognized that this pathway is essential for embryonic development, and has been revealed to regulate cell migration, proliferation and apoptosis (10). This cascade is crucial for the patterning of early lung morphogenesis (11). However, its role in acute lung injury/repair remains to be dete...