US EPA

3453312 

Journal Article 

Little evidence for epithelial-mesenchymal transition in a murine model of airway fibrosis induced by repeated naphthalene exposure 

Watanabe, O; Tsuji, T; Kikuchi, R; Itoh, M; Nakamura, H; Aoshiba, K 

2016 

Yes 

Experimental and Toxicologic Pathology
ISSN: 0940-2993
EISSN: 1618-1433 

68 

9 

517-520 

English 

27498952 

10.1016/j.etp.2016.07.007 

WOS:000386644300004 

http://://WOS:000386644300004
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is also published as 10810912 Little evidence for epithelial-mesenchymal transition in a murine model of airway fibrosis induced by repeated naphthalene exposure

Recent evidence suggests that epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is involved in the pathogenesis of airway obstructive diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma and bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome after lung transplantation. However, whether EMT occurs in an experimental model of airway fibrosis is not well known. We explored evidence of EMT in a murine model of airway fibrosis induced by repeated exposure to naphthalene. Mice were administered intraperitoneal injections of naphthalene or corn oil vehicle once weekly for 14 consecutive weeks. The animals were sacrificed 5days after the final injection of naphthalene or corn oil vehicle. EMT was evaluated in lung tissue sections using immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence. Repeated naphthalene exposure induced loss of club cells, hyperplasia of epithelial cells and peribronchial fibrosis. However, we did not find any loss of E-cadherin expression or any acquisition of vimentin, S100A4 or αSMA in epithelial cells in control or naphthalene-exposed mice. These results suggest that EMT does not contribute significantly to naphthalene-induced airway fibrosis in mice. 

Airway fibrosis; Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; Epithelial injury; Epithelial-mesenchymal transition; Naphthalene; article; animal models; bronchiolitis; cadherins; corn oil; epithelial cells; fibrosis; fluorescent antibody technique; hyperplasia; immunohistochemistry; pathogenesis; vimentin