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  2. The role of macrophage-fibroblast interaction in lipopolysaccharide-induced pulmonary fibrosis: an acceleration in lung fibroblast aerobic glycolysis

The role of macrophage-fibroblast interaction in lipopolysaccharide-induced pulmonary fibrosis: an acceleration in lung fibroblast aerobic glycolysis

  • Lab Invest. 2022 Apr;102(4):432-439. doi: 10.1038/s41374-021-00701-7.
Qiaoyi Xu  # 1 Shuya Mei  # 1 Fang Nie 1 Zhiyun Zhang 1 Junqi Feng 1 Jinyuan Zhang 2 Xiaoqing Qian 3 Yuan Gao 1 Zhengyu He 4 Shunpeng Xing 5
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Department of Critical Care Medicine, Ren Ji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
  • 2 Department of Anesthesiology, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
  • 3 School of Biomedical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
  • 4 Department of Critical Care Medicine, Ren Ji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China. zhengyuheshsmu@163.com.
  • 5 Department of Critical Care Medicine, Ren Ji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China. xsp1984211@163.com.
  • # Contributed equally.
Abstract

Recent evidence has shown that lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced aerobic glycolysis of lung fibroblasts is closely associated with the pathogenesis of septic pulmonary fibrosis. Nevertheless, the underlying mechanism remains poorly defined. In this study, we demonstrate that LPS promotes c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) signaling pathway activation and endogenous tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) secretion in pulmonary macrophages. This, in turn, could significantly promote aerobic glycolysis and increase lactate production in lung fibroblasts through 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2, 6-biphosphatase 3 (PFKFB3) activation. Culturing human lung fibroblast MRC-5 cell line with TNF-α or endogenous TNF-α (cell supernatants of macrophages after LPS stimulation) both enhanced the aerobic glycolysis and increased lactate production. These effects could be prevented by treating macrophages with JNK pathway inhibitor, by administering TNF-α receptor 1 (TNFR1) siRNA, PFKFB3 inhibitor, or by silencing PFKFB3 with fibroblasts-specific shRNA. In addition, the inhibition of TNF-α secretion and PFKFB3 expression prevented LPS-induced pulmonary fibrosis in vivo. In conclusion, this study revealed that LPS-induced macrophage secretion of TNF-α could initiate fibroblast aerobic glycolysis and lactate production, implying that inflammation-metabolism interactions between lung macrophages and fibroblasts might play an essential role in LPS-induced pulmonary fibrosis.

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