1. Academic Validation
  2. Azithromycin attenuates wheezing after pulmonary inflammation through inhibiting histone H3K27me3 hypermethylation mediated by EZH2

Azithromycin attenuates wheezing after pulmonary inflammation through inhibiting histone H3K27me3 hypermethylation mediated by EZH2

  • Clin Epigenetics. 2023 Jan 23;15(1):12. doi: 10.1186/s13148-023-01430-y.
Shuqi Wu # 1 Xiaochun Tian # 1 Qian Mao 1 Chang Peng 2
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Department of Pediatrics, Guizhou Children's Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, 149 Dalian Street, Zunyi, 563000, Guizhou, People's Republic of China.
  • 2 Department of Pediatrics, Guizhou Children's Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, 149 Dalian Street, Zunyi, 563000, Guizhou, People's Republic of China. pengchang_2006@126.com.
  • # Contributed equally.
Abstract

Background: Histone methylation modification plays an irreplaceable role in the wheezing diseases. The aim of this study was to explore whether azithromycin (AZM) attenuates post-inflammatory wheezing through inhibiting hypermethylation of histone H3K27me3 mediated by EZH2.

Results: A randomized controlled trial was conducted on 227 children who underwent fiber-optic bronchoscopy, and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) was collected for analyses. The expressions of IL-6, IL-2, NF-κB P65, EZH2 and H3K27me3 in the BALF of wheezing cases were significantly increased when compared with levels in non-wheezing cases (P < 0.05), while IL-10 was decreased (P < 0.05). AZM attenuated the overexpression of NF-κB P65, EZH2 and H3K27me3 in wheezing cases (P < 0.05) and shortened the time of wheezing in wheezing cases (P < 0.05). An in vitro model of inflammation was established using rat alveolar macrophages induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). AZM, SN50 (a NK-κB inhibitor) and GSK126 (an EZH2 Inhibitor) attenuated the overexpression of EZH2, NF-κB P65 and H3K27me3 induced by LPS in rat alveolar macrophages (P < 0.05). AZM, SN50 and GSK126 normalized the decreased expression of IL-10 induced by LPS in the same samples (P < 0.05). Co-immunoprecipitation results showed that H3K27me3 interacted with EZH2 and NF-κB P65, and immunofluorescence data showed that AZM and SN50 inhibited LPS-induced NF-κB P65 nuclear translocation in rat alveolar macrophages.

Conclusion: Histone H3K27me3 hypermethylation mediated by EZH2 may be involved in wheezing after pulmonary inflammation. AZM attenuated wheezing after pulmonary inflammation by inhibiting NF-κB P65-related hypermethylation of H3K27me3 mediated by EZH2.

Keywords

Azithromycin; EZH2; Histone methylation; Pulmonary inflammation; Wheezing diseases.

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