Dexmedetomidine Attenuates Lung Injury in Obstructive Jaundice Rats Through PI3K/Akt/HIF-1α Signaling Pathway

Background. Obstructive jaundice (OJ) could seriously affect the biochemical and immune functions in the body. Up to now, there are still poor evidences about the role of dexmedetomidine in OJ. Methods. Male Wistar rats were divided into four groups: Sham operation group (Sham group, n = 10), obstructive jaundice group (OJ group, n = 10), OJ + dexmedetomidine group (D group, n = 10), OJ+ dexmedetomidine+LY294002 group (DL group, n = 10). The expressions of phospho-Akt(p-Akt), HIF-1 alpha(hypoxia inducible factor-1 alpha), Akt mRNA, HIF-1 alpha mRNA, interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) in different groups were evaluated. Results. The lung injury score was decreased in OJ group compared with that in DL group. The expression of the HIF-1 alpha protein, p-Akt protein, Akt mRNA, and HIF-1 alpha mRNA in OJ group were significantly increased (p <0.05) (vs. S group). Meanwhile, these protein molecular were significantly higher in the D group than that in OJ group (p < 0.05). However, the mRNA expressions of these molecular in OJ group were significantly lower than that in D group (p <0.05). The concentrations of IL-6 and TNF-alpha in OJ group and D group was significantly up-regulated compared with that in S group (p <0.05). Meanwhile, IL-6 and TNF-alpha concentrations were significantly upregulated in DL group compared with that in group D (p <0.05). The concentrations of IL-6 and TNF-alpha were significantly decreased in the D group and DL group compared with that in OJ group (p <0.05). Conclusion. Dexmedetomidine can attenuate lung injury in obstructive jaundice rats through PI3K/Akt/HIF-1 alpha signaling pathway. Meanwhile, dexmedetomidine can reduce the concentrations of IL-6 and INF-alpha in obstructive jaundice rats. (C) 2019 IMSS. Published by Elsevier Inc.