Epoxyeicosatrienoic acids attenuate cigarette smoke extract-induced interleukin-8 production in bronchial epithelial cells

In response to endothelial cell activation, arachidonic acid can be converted by cytochrome P450 (CYP) epoxygenases to epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs), which have potent vasodilator and anti-inflammatory properties. In this study, we investigated the effects of exogenous EETs on cigarette smoke extract (CSE)-induced inflammation in human bronchial epithelial cells (NCI-H292). We found that CSE inhibited the expression of CYP2C8 and mildly stimulated the expression of epoxide hydrolase 2 (EPHX2) but did not change the expression of CYP2J2. Treatment with 11,12-EET or 14,15-EET attenuated the CSE-induced release of interleukin (IL)-8 by inhibiting the phosphorylation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs). Our results demonstrated that CSE may reduce the anti-inflammatory ability of epithelial cells themselves by lowering the EET level. EETs from pulmonary epithelial cells may play a critical protective role on epithelial cell injury.