Rationale: Pendrin is encoded by SLC26A4 and its mutation leads to congenital
hearing loss. Additionally, pendrin is up-regulated in inflammatory airway diseases such as
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease,
allergic rhinitis, and
asthma. In this study, the effects of a novel pendrin inhibitor,
YS-01, were investigated in an LPS-induced
acute lung injury (ALI) mice model, and the mechanism underlying the effect of
YS-01 was examined. Methods:
Lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 10 mg/kg) was intranasally instilled in wild type (WT) and pendrin-null mice.
YS-01 (10 mg/kg) was administered intra-peritoneally before or after LPS inhalation.
Lung injury parameters were assessed in the lung tissue and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). Pendrin levels in the BALF of 41 patients with
acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) due to
pneumonia and 25 control (
solitary pulmonary nodule) patients were also measured. Results: LPS instillation induced
lung injury in WT mice but not in pendrin-null mice. Pendrin expression was increased by LPS stimulation both in vitro and in vivo.
YS-01 treatment dramatically attenuated
lung injury and reduced BALF cell counts and
protein concentration after LPS instillation in WT mice. Proinflammatory
cytokines and NF-κB activation were suppressed by
YS-01 treatment in LPS-induced ALI mice. In BALF of patients whose ARDS was caused by
pneumonia, pendrin expression was up-regulated compared to that in controls (mean, 24.86 vs. 6.83 ng/mL, P < 0.001). Conclusions: A novel pendrin inhibitor,
YS-01, suppressed
lung injury in LPS-induced ALI mice and our data provide a new strategy for the treatment of inflammatory airway diseases including
sepsis-induced ALI.