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Parameters which characterize the nitriding atmosphere in the gas nitriding process of steel are: the nitriding potential KN, ammonia dissociation rate α and nitrogen availabilitymN2. The article discusses the possibilities of utilization of the nitriding atmosphere’s nitrogen availability in the design of gas nitriding processes of alloyed steels in atmospheres derived from raw ammonia, raw ammonia diluted with pre-dissociated ammonia, with nitrogen, as well as with both nitrogen and pre-dissociated ammonia. The nitriding processes were accomplished in four series. The parameters selected in the particular processes were: process temperature (T), time (t), value of nitriding potential (KN), corresponding to known dissociation rate of the ammonia which dissociates during the nitriding process (α). Variable parameters were: nitrogen availability (mN2), composition of the ingoing atmosphere and flow rate of the ingoing atmosphere (FIn).

Xingqi Wang,1 Amy Nelson,1 Zachary M Weiler,1 Amol Patil,1 Tadashi Sato,1 Nobuhiro Kanaji,1 Masanori Nakanishi,1 Joel Michalski,1 Maha Farid,1 Hesham Basma,1 Tricia D LeVan,1 Anna Miller-Larsson,2 Elisabet Wieslander,2 Kai-Christian Muller,3 Olaf Holz,3 Helgo Magnussen,3 Klaus F Rabe,3 Xiangde Liu,1 Stephen I Rennard1 1Pulmonary, Critical Care, Sleep and Allergy Division, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA; 2AstraZeneca R&D Molndal, Molndal, Sweden; 3Hospital Grosshansdorf, Center for Pneumology and Thoracic Surgery, Grosshansdorf, Germany Objective and design: Reduced expression of histone deacetylase 2 (HDAC2) in alveolar macrophages and epithelial cells may account for reduced response of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients to glucocorticoids. HDAC2 expression and its role in mediating glucocorticoid effects on fibroblast functions, however, has not been fully studied. This study was designed to investigate whether HDAC2 mediates glucocorticoid effects on release of inflammatory cytokines and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) from human lung fibroblasts. Methods: Human lung fibroblasts (HFL-1 cells) were stimulated with interleukin (IL)-1β plus tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α in the presence or absence of the glucocorticoid budesonide. Cytokines (IL-6 and IL-8) were quantified by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and MMPs (MMP-1 and MMP-3) by immunoblotting in culture medium. The role of HDAC2 was investigated using a pharmacologic inhibitor as well as a small interfering ribonucleic acid (siRNA) targeting HDAC2. Results: We have demonstrated that budesonide concentration-dependently (10-10–10-7 M) inhibited IL-6, IL-8, MMP-1, and MMP-3 release by HFL-1 cells in response to IL-1β plus TNF-a. While an HDAC inhibitor significantly blocked the inhibitory effect of budesonide on human bronchial epithelial cells (HBECs) and monocytes (THP-1 cells), it did not block the inhibitory effect of budesonide on release of cytokines and MMPs from HFL-1 cells. Similarly, an HDAC2-siRNA blocked budesonide inhibition of cytokine release in HBECs, but it did not block the inhibitory effect of budesonide on HFL-1 cytokine and MMP release. Furthermore, budesonide significantly blocked release of cytokines and MMPs to a similar degree in normal and COPD lung fibroblasts as well as in HFL-1 cells exposed or not exposed to cigarette smoke extract. Conclusion: These findings suggest that, in contrast to airway epithelial cells and monocytes/macrophages, HDAC2 is not required for budesonide to inhibit MMP and cytokine release by lung fibroblasts and this inhibitory pathway appears to be intact in cultured fibroblasts from COPD patients. These results also suggest that budesonide has the potential to modulate fibroblast-mediated tissue remodeling following airway inflammation in COPD, which is mediated via an HDAC2 independent pathway. Keywords: budesonide, fibroblasts, HDAC2

Nobuhiro Kanaji1, Tadashi Sato2, Amy Nelson3, Xingqi Wang3, YingJi Li4, Miok Kim5, Masanori Nakanishi6, Hesham Basma3, Joel Michalski3, Maha Farid3, Michael Chandler3, William Pease3, Amol Patil3, Stephen I Rennard3, Xiangde Liu31Division of Hematology, Rheumatology and Respiratory Medicine, Kagawa University, Kagawa, Japan; 2Department of Respiratory Medicine, Juntendo University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan; 3Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska; 4Department of Hygiene and Public Health, Nippon Medical School, Tokyo, Japan; 5Third Department of Internal Medicine, Wakayama Medical University School of Medicine, Wakayama, Japan; 6Department of Internal Medicine, Jeju Medical College, Jeju, Republic of KoreaAbstract: Inflammation contributes to the development of fibrotic and malignant diseases. We assessed the ability of inflammatory cytokines to modulate endothelial cell survival and functions related to tissue repair/remodeling. Treatment with interleukin (IL)-1ß or tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α (2 ng/mL) led to human pulmonary artery endothelial cells becoming spindle-shaped fibroblast-like cells. However, immunoblot and DNA microarray showed no change in most endothelial and mesenchymal markers. In the presence of IL-1ß or TNF-α, cells were resistant to apoptosis induced by deprivation of serum and growth factor, and were more migratory. In addition, cells treated with IL-1ß or TNF-α contracted collagen gels more robustly. In contrast, transforming growth factor-ß1 did not induce these responses. RNA interference targeting nuclear factor (NF)- κB p65 blocked the effects of IL-1ß or TNF-α on cell morphologic change, survival, migration, and collagen gel contraction. These results suggest that endothelial cells may contribute to tissue repair/remodeling via the NF-κB signaling in a milieu of airway inflammation.Keywords: NF-κB, IL-1ß, TNF-α, apoptosis, tissue repair