Cell- and Isoform-Specific Increases in Arginase Expression in Acute Silica-Induced Pulmonary Inflammation*

*The findings and conclusion in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.

Abstract

Arginase induction was reported in several inflammatory lung diseases, suggesting that this may be a common feature underlying the pathophysiology of such diseases. As little is known regarding arginase expression in silicosis, the induction and cellular localization of arginase were elucidated in lungs of Sprague-Dawley rats 24 h following exposure to varying doses of silica by intratracheal instillation. Arginase expression was evaluated by activity assay, quantification of arginase I and arginase II mRNA levels using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and immunohistochemistry. Analyses of cells and fluid obtained by bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) showed that markers of pulmonary inflammation, tissue damage, activation of alveolar macrophages (AM) and NO production were significantly increased by all silica doses. Arginase activity was increased also in AMs isolated from BAL fluid of silica-treated rats. Silica produced two- and three-fold increases in arginase activity of whole lung at doses of 1 and 5 mg/100 g body weight, respectively. Levels of arginase I mRNA, but not of arginase II mRNA, were similarly elevated. In control lungs, arginase I immunoreactivity was observed only in AMs sparsely dispersed throughout the lung; no inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) immunoreactivity was detected. In silica-treated lungs, arginase I and iNOS were co-expressed in most AMs that were abundantly clustered at inflammatory foci. The rapid induction of arginase I expression in inflammatory lung cells, similar to induction of arginase in other inflammatory lung diseases, implicates elevated arginase activity as a factor in the development of lung damage following exposure to silica.

Acknowledgements

The authors thank Dr. Robert Mercer for helpful discussion and Jason Devlin and Stuart Shand for assistance with microscopy. We thank Dr. Simon Watkins, Director of the Center for Biologic Imaging, for providing access to the instrumentation used for the immunohistochemical studies. This research was supported in part by NIH grants RO1 GM57384 and RO1 GM064509 to S. M. Morris.

Notes

*The findings and conclusion in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.