Abstract:

BACKGROUND: Alveolar epithelial cells type Ⅱ AECII (AECⅡ) is the stem cells of alveolar epithelial tissue, and most of lung diseases are closely related with the damage of AECⅡ. Studies have demonstrated that retinoic acid cannot only promote the rat alveolar formation during the development, but also promote the repair of lung injuries. However, several studies have shown that retinoic acid plays an insignificant role in the treatment of emphysema models.
OBJECTIVE: To explore whether retinoic acid can protect AECⅡ against acrolein.
METHODS: AECⅡ were isolated and purified from the lung tissue of male Sprague-Dawley rats using modified method, followed by primary culture. Then, MTT method was done to observe the cell viability of AECⅡ stimulated by acrolein, and cell cycle changes induced by acrolein and/or retinoic acid were analyzed by flow cytometry.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The cell viability fell down by the treatment of acrolein in a dose-dependent manner. The result of flow cytometry showed that cell population in G1 phase increased significantly after treatment with acrolein, but retinoic acid had no antagonistic action to acrolein. The relevant mechanism still needs further studies.