The epithelial barrier of the lung is destroyed during acute lung injury (ALI)/acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) due to the apoptosis of alveolar epithelial cells (AECs). Therefore, treatments that block AEC apoptosis might be a therapeutic strategy to ameliorate ALI. Based on recent evidence, A2B adenosine receptor (A2BAR) plays an important role in ALI in several different animal models, but its exact function in AECs has not been clarified. We investigated the role of A2BAR in AEC apoptosis in a mouse model of oleic acid (OA)-induced ALI and in hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-induced AEC (A549 cells and MLE-12 cells) injury. Mice treated with BAY60-6583, a selective A2BAR agonist, showed lower AEC apoptosis rates than mice treated with OA. However, the role of BAY60-6583 in OA-induced ALI was attenuated by a specific blocker of A2BAR, PSB1115. A2BAR activation decreased H2O2-induced cell apoptosis in vitro, as characterized by the translocation of apoptotic proteins, the release of cytochrome c, and the activation of caspase-3 and poly (ADP ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP-1). In addition, apoptosis was required for the phosphorylation of ERK1/2, p38, and JNK. Importantly, compared with cells transfected with the A2BAR-siRNA, an ERK inhibitor or p38 inhibitor exhibited decreased apoptotic ratios and cleaved caspase-9 and cleaved PARP-1 levels, whereas the JNK inhibitor displayed increases in these parameters. In conclusion, A2BAR activation effectively attenuated OA-induced ALI by inhibiting AEC apoptosis and mitigated H2O2-induced AEC injury by suppressing the p38 and ERK1/2-mediated mitochondrial apoptosis pathway.
Keywords: A2B adenosine receptors; MAPK; alveolar epithelial cells; apoptosis; mitochondrial signaling pathway.