Down-regulation of oxidant-induced airway inflammation though modulation of NRF2

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This proposal outlines a 3 year K23 Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award (K23) designed to refine the candidate's training as a physician scientist and to prepare for a multidisciplinary, translational research program focused on the development of therapies against airway oxidative stress. The goal of this proposal is to provide support, training in drug discovery/development, and guidance in intervention-based proof of concept studies as the candidate applies experience in basic science and clinical research to the development of an independent translational research project. Recent evidence from this group and others has emphasized the role of intracellular antioxidant enzymes in exacerbation of O3-induced airway inflammation. Healthy volunteers lacking the antioxidant enzyme, Glutathione S Transferase Mu 1 (GSTM1), suffered from increased neutrophilic airway inflammation after chamber exposure to 0.4 parts per million (ppm) ozone (O3). GSTM1 and numerous other phase II antioxidant enzymes (NQO1, GSTP1, HO-1) are regulated by the master transcription factor NF-E2- related factor 2 (NRF2). Murine models and studies of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease suggest that defects in NRF2 are associated with oxidant-mediated lung injury. Therefore, NRF2 is a strong candidate to modulate in protection against airway inflammation caused by ubiquitous inhaled oxidants such as O3. The intent here is to use sulforaphane (SFN), an antioxidant compound derived from specially bred broccoli that was found to upregulate expression of NRF2 and NRF2-regulated Phase II enzymes (GSTM1, GSTP1, HO1, and NQO1), to examine if NRF2 induction with oral SFN supplementation will reduce O3-induced airway inflammation in normal volunteers. Second, cultured differentiated nasal epithelial cells derived from mild-moderate persistent allergic asthmatics will be used to examine if SFN treatment of these epithelial cells modifies O3-induced inflammatory responses. The candidate will acquire experience in the drug discovery process of pharmacologic agents that can target oxidative stress processes through the proposed didactic coursework as well as with the completion of these aims with the assistance of the mentoring team. The mentoring team consists of three individuals with extensive experience in mentoring young scientists and in developing translational research programs: Dr. David Peden, a translational scientist with expertise on environmental pollution, oxidative stress, and lead mentor; Dr. Wesley Burks, a translational researcher focused on phase I/II clinical trial interventions against food allergy; and Dr. Angela Kashuba, the director f the clinical pharmacology fellowship at UNC with extensive experience in clinical pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic studies.