Effect of inhaling hydrogen on proteomics during acute lung injury in septic mice

Abstract

Objective To evaluate the effect of inhaling hydrogen (H2) on proteomics during acute lung injury in septic mice. Methods Sixty male ICR mice, aged 6 weeks, weighing 20-25 g, were divided into 4 groups (n=15 each) using a random number table: sham operation group (Sh group), sham operation plus H2 group (Sh+ H2 group), sepsis group (S group) and sepsis plus H2 group (S+ H2 group). Sepsis was produced by cecal ligation and puncture.The mice in Sh+ H2 and S+ H2 groups inhaled 2% H2 for 1 h starting from 1 and 6 h after operation.At 24 h after operation, lungs were removed for identification of proteins by isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantification and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analysis, and the differentially expressed proteins were screened.The differentially expressed proteins were used for KEGG pathway enrichment analysis and STRING protein-protein interaction networks analysis.Western blot was used to confirm the 4 differentially expressed proteins semaphorin 7A, transferrin, OTULIN and mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase kinase 1. Results A total of 4 472 quantifiable proteins were identified.A total of 192 proteins which were related to acute lung injury during H2 inhalation-induced reduction of sepsis were identified.The 192 proteins involved phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/serine-threonine kinase signaling pathway, chemokine signaling pathway, hypoxia-inducible factor 1 signaling pathway, complement and coagulation cascades, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor signaling pathway and proteins including ribosome proteins, myosin and troponin, collagen and adhesion-related proteins, coagulation-related proteins found in STRING protein-protein interaction networks. Conclusion Inhaling H2 can induce changes in the expression of 192 proteins, which may be the mechanism of lung protection in septic mice. Key words: Hydrogen; Sepsis; Respiratory distress syndrome, adult; Proteomics