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International Journal of Molecular... Apr 2024Using a lipopolysaccharide model of acute lung injury, we previously showed that endothelin-1 (ET-1), a potent mediator of vasoconstriction, may act as a "gatekeeper"...
Using a lipopolysaccharide model of acute lung injury, we previously showed that endothelin-1 (ET-1), a potent mediator of vasoconstriction, may act as a "gatekeeper" for the influx of inflammatory cells into the lung. These studies provided a rationale for testing the effect of HJP272, an endothelin receptor antagonist (ERA), in hamster models of pulmonary fibrosis induced by intratracheal instillation of either bleomycin (BLM) or amiodarone (AM). To determine the temporal effects of blocking ET-1 activity, animals were given HJP272 either 1 h before initiation of lung injury or 24 h afterward. The results indicated that pretreatment with this agent caused significant reductions in various inflammatory parameters, whereas post-treatment was ineffective. This finding suggests that ERAs are only effective at a very early stage of pulmonary fibrosis and explains their lack of success in clinical trials involving patients with this disease. Nevertheless, ERAs could serve as prophylactic agents when combined with drugs that may induce pulmonary fibrosis. Furthermore, developing a biomarker for the initial changes in the lung extracellular matrix could increase the efficacy of ERAs and other therapeutic agents in preventing the progression of the disease. While no such biomarker currently exists, we propose the ratio of free to peptide-bound desmosine, a unique crosslink of elastin, as a potential candidate for detecting the earliest modifications in lung microarchitecture associated with pulmonary fibrosis.
Topics: Animals; Pulmonary Fibrosis; Endothelin Receptor Antagonists; Bleomycin; Cricetinae; Disease Models, Animal; Male; Lung; Humans; Endothelin-1
PubMed: 38673771
DOI: 10.3390/ijms25084184 -
Acta Medica Portuguesa Mar 2016Elastosis perfurans serpiginosa is a rare perforating dermatosis found primarily in adolescents and young adults, characterized by transepidermal elimination of abnormal...
Elastosis perfurans serpiginosa is a rare perforating dermatosis found primarily in adolescents and young adults, characterized by transepidermal elimination of abnormal elastic fibers. The only drug known capable of inducing elastosis perfurans serpiginosa is D-penicillamine. We report the case of a 52 year-old woman with keratotic papules arranged in an annular pattern with central clearing and centrifugal growth, located in the anterior cervical region. The patient was chronically treated with D-penicillamine for Wilson disease. Lesion biopsy showed transepidermal elimination of thickened, eosinophilic, branched, sawtooth-like elastic fibers. The clinical and pathological findings were consistent with elastosis perfurans serpiginosa secondary to D-penicillamine. It is estimated that elastosis perfurans serpiginosa occurs in 1% of patients treated with D-penicillamine. By blocking directly or indirectly the desmosine cross-links between elastin molecules, D-penicillamine leads to the synthesis of abnormal dermal and extracutaneous elastic fibers. Elastosis perfurans serpiginosa may be the first manifestation of a multisystemic degenerative process of elastic connective tissue.
PubMed: 27285100
DOI: 10.20344/amp.6749