HYDROGEN-RICH SALINE ATTENUATES ACUTE LUNG INJURY INDUCED BY LIMB ISCHEMIA/ REPERFUSION VIA DOWN-REGULATING CHEMERIN AND NLRP3 IN RATS

Limb ischemia/reperfusion (LI/R) injury is associated with high morbidity and mortality. The hypothesis of this study is that hydrogen-rich solution could attenuate acute lung injury and improve mortality via chemerin and NLRP3 after LI/R in rats. A rat model of LI/R was performed by clamping the bilateral femoral arteries for 3 h followed by reperfusion. Hydrogen-rich saline (HRS) was administered intraperitoneally (10 mL/kg or 2.5 mL/kg) when the atraumatic micro clips were released. The rats were euthanized at 2 h after reperfusion and then the arterial blood and lung specimens were harvested for further analyses. Meanwhile, survival rate was observed. The results showed that HRS improved the survival rate and attenuated pulmonary edema, injury, and apoptosis. HRS also decreased the levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin-6, myeloperoxidase and malondialdehyde, and increased the activity of superoxide dismutase in serum and lung after the LI/R event. HRS downregulated the expression of chemerin and NLRP3 in lung. The study demonstrated that chemerin and NLRP3 could serve as important response factors that were involved in the lung injury following LI/R. HRS could significantly attenuate LI/R-mediated acute lung injury, at least in part, by inhibiting the activated chemerin/NLRP3 signaling pathway.