Oxidative stress and expression of inflammatory factors in lung tissue of acute mountain sickness rats

Mol Med Rep. 2022 Feb;25(2):49. doi: 10.3892/mmr.2021.12565. Epub 2021 Dec 16.

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to investigate the changes in lung histomorphology and oxidative stress, as well as the expression of interleukin (IL)‑17C and other inflammatory factors during acute mountain sickness (AMS) in male Sprague‑Dawley rats and to explore the underlying mechanism. Rats were randomly divided into a control group (0 h) and three hypoxia stress groups, exposed to low‑pressure oxygen storage at a simulated altitude of 6,000 m for 24, 48 and 72 h, respectively. Morphological changes in lung tissue were observed by hematoxylin and eosin staining under light microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The expression of inflammatory factors IL‑17C, nuclear factor‑κB (NF‑κB), IL‑1β, IL‑6 and tumor necrosis factor‑α (TNF‑α) in lung tissue was assessed by RNA sequencing and verified by reverse transcription‑quantitative PCR (RT‑qPCR) and western blotting (WB). Superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH‑Px) enzyme activity and malondialdehyde (MDA) expression were also measured. Experimental groups were compared to the control group following 24, 48 and 72 h of hypoxic stress. Lung tissue suffered from different degrees of injury, and the damage was the most severe after 48 h of hypoxic stress. RNA sequencing data from the lung tissue of rats from each group suggested that the expression of IL‑17C, NF‑κB, IL‑1β, IL‑6, and TNF‑α increased significantly after hypoxic stress. RT‑qPCR and WB demonstrated that the expression of IL‑17C and NF‑κB increased significantly after hypoxia lasting 48 and 72 h. IL‑1β expression increased significantly after hypoxia stress lasting 24 and 48 h, and the expressions of TNF‑α and IL‑6 increased significantly after hypoxia stress lasting 24, 48 and 72 h (P<0.01). The enzyme activity of SOD and GSH‑Px decreased significantly after lasting 24, 48 and 72 h of hypoxia (P<0.01), and MDA increased significantly after hypoxic stress lasting 48 and 72 h (P<0.01). In conclusion, under hypoxic stress, rats quickly initiate oxidative stress and immune responses. However, with prolonged hypoxic stress time, excessive oxidative stress can further stimulate the immune system in vivo, and release a large quantity of inflammatory factors accumulating in the body. This, in turn, may lead to the occurrence of inflammatory storms and further damage the lung tissue resulting in AMS.

Keywords: acute mountain sickness; hypoxia; inflammatory factors; oxidative stress.

MeSH terms

  • Altitude Sickness / immunology*
  • Altitude Sickness / pathology
  • Animals
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Humans
  • Inflammation Mediators / analysis
  • Inflammation Mediators / metabolism*
  • Lung / immunology
  • Lung / pathology*
  • Male
  • Oxidative Stress / immunology
  • RNA-Seq
  • Rats
  • Rats, Sprague-Dawley

Substances

  • Inflammation Mediators

Grants and funding

The present study was supported by The Second Tibetan Plateau Scientific Expedition and Research Program (grant no. 2019QZKK0606), The Chinese National Natural Science Foundation (grant no. 81460051), The Key Laboratory of Medicinal Animal and Plant resources of The Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (grant no. 2017-ZJ-Y13), The Department of Science and Technology of Qinghai Province (grant no. 2019-ZJ-7042), The Scientific Research for Middle-aged and Young people of the Medical College of Qinghai University (grant no. 2018-kyy-1), and The National Students' Platform for Innovation and Entrepreneurship Training Program (grant no. 201910743003).