[Recent advances in the study of AMPK and inflammatory pulmonary disease]

Abstract

AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is an important regulator of cellular energy homeostasis. Recent studies demonstrated that AMPK is a novel signaling molecule modulating inflammatory responses and oxidative stress which are involved in inflammatory pulmonary diseases, such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), pulmonary infectious diseases and pulmonary fibrosis. AMPK attenuates inflammatory lung injury by phosphorylating its downstream targets, such as sirtuin1 (SIRT1), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator-1alpha (PGC-1alpha), p53 and forkhead box O3a (FoxO3a). This review summarized the relationship between AMPK and the development of inflammatory pulmonary diseases.