Therapeutic potency of Nrf2, a key antioxidative transcription factor, for pulmonary hypertension

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Three weeks of hypoxia exacerbated pulmonary hypertension (PH), right ventricular hypertrophy (RVH), and pulmonary vascular remodeling in mice. These pathological changes were associated with aberrant accumulation of a extracellular glycoprotein, Tenascin-C. Both administration of oltipraz, a potent Nrf2 activator, and Keap1 (negative regulator of Nrf2) knockdown significantly attenuated RVH and pulmonary vascular remodeling and concomitantly ameliorated Tenascin-C accumulation in the hypoxic mouse lungs. Expression of the Nrf2-regulated antioxidant enzymes was decreased in a patient with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease associated with PH. The decreased antioxidant enzymes may underlie the pathogenesis of cardiopulmonary changes in the patient with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and PH. The efficacy of oltipraz highlights a promising therapeutic potency of Nrf2 activators for the prevention of PH in patients with hypoxemic lung disease.