Artesunate reduces sepsis-mediated acute lung injury in a SIRT1-dependent manner

Sepsis-mediated acute lung injury (ALI) is a critical clinical condition. Artesunate (AS) is a sesquiterpene lactone endoperoxide that was discovered in Artemisia annua, which is a traditional Chinese herb. AS has a broad set of biological and pharmacological actions; however, its protective effect on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced ALI remains unclear.

LPS-mediated ALI was induced in rats through bronchial LPS inhalation. Then NR8383 cells were treated with LPS to establish an in vitro model. Further, we administered different AS doses in vivo and in vitro.

AS administration significantly decreased LPS-mediated pulmonary cell death and inhibited pulmonary neutrophil infiltration. Additionally, AS administration increased SIRT1 expression in pulmonary sections. Administration of a biological antagonist or shRNA-induced reduction of SIRT1 expression significantly inhibited the protective effect of AS against LPS-induced cellular injury, pulmonary dysfunction, neutrophil infiltration, and apoptosis. This demonstrates that enhanced SIRT1 expression is crucially involved in the observed protective effects.

Our findings could suggest the use of AS for treating lung disorders through a mechanism involving SIRT1 expression.