bioRxiv ScienceSearch

Biology subjects

Revill, S.

Publications and source records attributed to Revill, S..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

Inhalation: A means to explore and optimize nintedanib's pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic relationship

Oral nintedanib is marketed for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). While effective slowing fibrosis progression, as an oral medicine nintedanib is limited. To reduce side effects and maximize efficacy, nintedanib was reformulated as a solution for nebulization and inhaled administration. To predict effectiveness treating IPF, the nintedanib pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic relationship was dissected. Pharmacokinetic analysis indicated oral-delivered nintedanib plasma exposure and lung tissue partitioning were not dose-proportional and resulting lung levels were substantially higher than blood. Although initial-oral absorbed nintedanib efficiently partitioned into the lung, only a quickly eliminated fraction appeared available to epithelial lining fluid (ELF). Because IPF disease appears to initiate and progress near the epithelial surface, this observation suggests short duration nintedanib exposure (oral portion efficiently partitioned to ELF) is sufficient for IPF efficacy. To test this hypothesis, exposure duration required for nintedanib activity was explored. In vitro, IPF-cellular matrix (IPF-CM) increased primary normal human fibroblast (nHLF) aggregate size and reduced nHLF cell count. IPF-CM also increased nHLF ACTA2 and COL1A expression. Whether short duration (inhalation mimic) or continuous exposure (oral mimic), nintedanib (1-100 nM) reversed these effects. In vivo, intubated silica produced a strong pulmonary fibrotic response. Once-daily (QD) 0.021, 0.21 and 2.1 mg/kg intranasal (IN; short duration inhaled exposure) and twice daily (BID) 30 mg/kg oral (PO; long duration oral exposure) showed that at equivalent-delivered lung concentrations, QD short duration inhaled nintedanib exposure (0.21 mg/kg IN vs. 30 mg/kg PO) exhibited equivalent-to-superior activity as BID oral (reduced silica-induced elastance, alpha-smooth muscle actin, interleukin-1 beta (IL-1{beta}) and soluble collagen, and lung macrophage and neutrophils). An increased lung dose (2.1 mg/kg IN vs. 30 mg/kg PO) exhibited increased effect by further reducing silica-induced elastance, IL-1{beta} and soluble collagen. Neither oral nor inhaled nintedanib reduced silica-induced parenchymal collagen. Both QD inhaled and BID oral nintedanib reduced silica-induced inflammatory index with oral achieving significance. In summary, nintedanib pulmonary anti-fibrotic activity can be achieved using small, infrequent inhaled doses to deliver oral equivalent-to-superior therapeutic effect.

pharmacology and toxicology

Expression of the endocannabinoid system in the human airway epithelial cells: Impact of sex and chronic respiratory disease status

Recreational and medicinal cannabis consumption in the past 12 months has been reported in 1/5th of Canadians, with greater use in males relative to females. Cannabis smoking is the dominant route of delivery in consumers, with the airway epithelium functioning as the site of first contact for inhaled phytocannabinoids. The endocannabinoid system is responsible for mediating the physiological effects of inhaled phytocannabinoids. Acute cannabis smoke inhalation can result in bronchodilation, which may have applications in chronic respiratory disease management. In contrast, chronic cannabis smoke inhalation is associated with reduced lung function and bronchitis, which challenges potential applications in the lung. The contribution of the endocannabinoid system in the airway epithelium to either beneficial or harmful physiological responses remains to be clearly defined in males and females and those with underlying chronic respiratory disease. To begin to address this knowledge gap, a curated dataset of 1090 unique human bronchial brushing gene expression profiles was created from Gene Expression Omnibus deposited microarray datasets. The dataset included 616 healthy subjects, 136 subjects with asthma, and 338 subjects with COPD. A 27-gene endocannabinoid signature was analyzed across all samples with sex and disease specific-analyses performed. Immunohistochemistry and immunoblots were performed to confirm in situ and in vitro protein expression of select genes in human airway epithelial cells. We confirm three receptors for cannabinoids, CB1, CB2, and TRPV1, are expressed at the protein level in human airway epithelial cells in situ and in vitro, justifying examining the downstream endocannabinoid pathway more extensively at the gene expression level. Sex status was associated with differential expression of 6/27 genes. In contrast, disease status was associated with differential expression of 18/27 genes in asthmatics and 22/27 genes in COPD subjects. We confirm at the protein level that TRPV1, the most differentially expressed candidate in our analyses, was up-regulated in airway epithelial cells from asthmatics relative to healthy subjects. Our data demonstrate that endocannabinoid system is expressed in human airway epithelial cells with expression impacted by disease status and minimally by sex. The data suggest that cannabis consumers may have differential physiological responses in the respiratory mucosa, which could impact both acute and chronic effects of cannabis smoke inhalation.

cell biology

ABCF1 regulates dsDNA-induced immune responses in human airway epithelial cells

BackgroundThe airway epithelium represents a critical component of the human lung that helps orchestrate defences against respiratory tract viral infections, which are responsible for more than 2.5 million deaths/year globally. Innate immune activities of the airway epithelium rely Toll-like receptors (TLRs), nucleotide binding and leucine-rich-repeat pyrin domain containing (NLRP) receptors, and cytosolic nucleic acid sensors. ATP Binding Cassette (ABC) transporters are ubiquitous across all three domains of life - Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukarya - and expressed in the human airway epithelium. ABCF1, a unique ABC family member that lacks a transmembrane domain, has been defined as a cytosolic nucleic acid sensor that regulates CXCL10, interferon-{beta} expression, and downstream type I interferon responses. We tested the hypothesis that ABCF1 functions as a dsDNA nucleic acid sensor in human airway epithelial cells important in regulating antiviral responses. MethodsExpression and localization experiments were performed using in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry in human lung tissue from healthy subjects, while confirmatory transcript and protein expression was performed in human airway epithelial cells. Functional experiments were performed with siRNA methods in human airway epithelial cells. Complementary transcriptomic analyses were performed to explore the contributions of ABCF1 to gene expression patterns. ResultsUsing archived human lung and human airway epithelial cells, we confirm expression of ABCF1 gene and protein expression in these tissue samples, with a role for mediating CXCL10 production in response to dsDNA viral mimic challenge. Although, ABCF1 knockdown was associated with an attenuation of select genes involved in the antiviral responses, Gene Ontology analyses revealed a greater interaction of ABCF1 with TLR signaling suggesting a multifactorial role for ABCF1 in innate immunity in human airway epithelial cells. ConclusionABCF1 is a candidate cytosolic nucleic acid sensor and modulator of TLR signaling that is expressed at gene and protein levels in human airway epithelial cells. The precise level where ABCF1 protein functions to modulate immune responses to pathogens remains to be determined but is anticipated to involve IRF-3 and CXCL10 production.

immunology