Paxillin mediates lung epithelial injury by activating NLRP3 inflammasomes in an acute respiratory distress syndrome mouse model

Acute lung injury (ALI)/acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a clinical syndrome characterized by diffuse lung inflammation and edema, with diffuse alveolar damage as the hallmark pathology. Paxillin plays a crucial role in the signaling pathways that regulate inflammatory responses. However, its involvement in modulating nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome activation and its impact on lung epithelial integrity remain largely unexplored. Hematoxylin and eosin staining, immunohistochemistry, and Western blot (WB) analysis were performed. In the present study, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation significantly upregulated paxillin expression and phosphorylation concomitant with NLRP3 inflammasome activation. Co-immunoprecipitation was performed to assess the interaction between paxillin and NLRP3. To further explore the role of paxillin, a lentiviral knockdown approach was used to downregulate its expression. Paxillin knockdown attenuated the NLRP3 inflammasome-mediated inflammatory response in LPS-induced ALI/ARDS, leading to enhanced epithelial cell migration and improved wound healing capacity. In conclusion, paxillin plays a key role in regulating inflammation mediated by NLRP3 inflammasome. Overall, suppression of Paxillin expression provides protection by alleviating LPS-induced inflammation and promoting epithelial repair, thus highlighting its potential as a therapeutic target for ALI/ARDS.

Acute respiratory distress syndrome; NLRP3 inflammasome; Paxillin; Pulmonary epithelial homeostasis; Pulmonary epithelial repair.