Resolvins play a role in the resolution of acute lung injury

Patients that receive oxygen therapy are at risk for developing a debilitating respiratory syndrome known as hyperoxic acute lung injury (HALI). Resolution of this syndrome stems from rectifying the imbalance that exists in favor of pro‐inflammatory over anti‐inflammatory cytokines. Resolution phase interaction products (resolvins), pro‐resolution lipid mediators, have been shown to reduce the inflammation seen in acute injuries; however the ability to confer beneficial effects in HALI is not yet known. Thus, we hypothesized that resolvins decrease the pathophysiology seen in HALI. To test this, C57BL/6 mice were treated with resolvins following hyperoxia exposure. Alveolar epithelial cells (A549) were also pre‐treated with resolvins prior to exposure to pro‐inflammatory cytokines IL‐1β or TNF □ . In‐vivo results revealed that resolvin treatment, following hyperoxia, resulted in improved lung tissue histology, coupled with decreased barrier dysfunction and neutrophil infiltration. A549 cells treated with resolvins demonstrated reduced adhesion molecule expression and pro‐inflammatory cytokine secretion in comparison to cytokine treated controls. Our results also showed a suppression of MAP kinase and NFκB signaling in resolvins treated cells. Taken together, these results provide evidence that resolvins could be an effective treatment for acute injury syndromes such as HALI.