Inhibition of the phospholipase A2 activity of peroxiredoxin 6 prevents lung damage with exposure to hyperoxia

•Exposure of mice to sublethal O2 (100% O2 for 80 h) resulted in acute lung injury (ALI).•Manifestations of ALI included increased PMN, lung edema, tissue lipid peroxidation, and cellular apoptosis.•MJ33, an inhibitor of lung acidic, Ca2+-independent phospholipase A2 (aiPLA2) activity, markedly decreased manifestations of tissue injury with hyperoxia.•The proposed mechanism for lung protection is the prevention of NADPH oxidase activation associated with lung inflammation.•Possible additional roles for MJ33 have not yet been studied.

Lung injury associated with hyperoxia reflects in part the secondary effects of pulmonary inflammation and the associated production of reactive oxygen species due to activation of NADPH oxidase, type 2 (NOX2). Activation of NOX2 requires the phospholipase A2 (PLA2) activity of peroxiredoxin 6 (Prdx6). Therefore, we evaluated whether blocking Prdx6 PLA2 activity using the inhibitor MJ33 would be protective in a mouse model of acute lung injury resulting from hyperoxic exposure. Mice were treated with an intraperitoneal injection of MJ33 (2.5 nmol/g body weight) at the start of exposure (zero time) and at 48 h during continuous exposure to 100% O2 for 80 h. Treatment with MJ33 reduced the number of neutrophils and the protein content in the fluid obtained by bronchoalveolar lavage, inhibited the increase in lipid peroxidation products in lung tissue, decreased the number of apoptotic cells in the lung, and decreased the perivascular edema associated with the 80 h exposure to hyperoxia. Thus, blocking Prdx6 PLA2 activity by MJ33 significantly protected lungs against damage from hyperoxia, presumably by preventing the activation of NOX2 and the amplification of lung injury associated with inflammation. These findings demonstrate that MJ33, a potent inhibitor of Prdx6 PLA2 activity, can protect mouse lungs against the manifestations of acute lung injury due to oxidative stress.

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