| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
TASHIRO Masafumi Kumamoto University, School of Medicine, Assistant, 医学部・附属病院, 助手 (60264305)
YANO Toshiyuki Kumamoto University, School of Medicine, Assistant, 医学部・附属病院, 助手 (50253729)
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| Research Abstract |
1. Effect of growth factor for alveolar type II cells on lung injury: We have demonstrated that keratinocyte growth factor (KGF) is a potent factor for proliferation and differentiation of alveolar type II cells. We have examined whether KGF would prevent bleomycin-induced lung injury and fibrosis. Recombinant human KGF(rhKGF) was injected intratracheally at 48h before and 24h after bleomycin. KGF treatment prevents (1)loss of body weight, (2)reduced total lung capacity, (3)accumulation of collagen type I & III and their mRNAs, and (4)decreased autoradiographic silver grains for surfactant protein A(SP-A), SP-B and SP-C mRNAs in the rat lungs induced by bleomycin. Lung injury due to acid instillation was also prevented by KGF pretreatment at 72h before acid (0.1N HCl) instillation, but not by posttreatment. 2. To clarify the mechanisms of prevention, we were examining the expression of the transcription factor, C/EBP family members, and the surfactant proteins in acute lung injury and in lungs of C/EBP deficient mice. C/EBP family members are differentially expressed in the lung with acute injury. Especially, C/EBPdδ is expressed in some of alveolar type II cells, which suggests the presence of a subtype of the cell. Further C/EBPα-deficient mice had a pulmonary abnormality resembling pulmonary alveolar proteinosis. Molecular study demonstrated overexpression of SP-C mRNA in the lungs of C/EBPα-deficient mice, which suggests C/EBPα may have an inhibitory regulation on SP-C gene. 3. To investigate the mechanism of preventing lung injury by KGF, we have examined whether KGF prevents another organ injury, brain ischemia-induced neuronal death in hippocampal region in gerbils. Histological and TUNEL studies showed its inhibition on neuronal death. 4. Future project: We are going to study gene transfer of KGF using adeno-virus intratracheally for preventing lung injury and fibrosis.
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