Selenium-containing compound ameliorates lipopolysaccharide-induced acute lung injury via regulating MAPKs/AP-1 pathway

Acute lung injury (ALI) characterized by a series of inflammatory reactions and served as the main cause of mortality in intensive care unit patients. Although great progress have been made in understanding the pathophysiology of ALI, there are no effective treatment in clinic. Recently, we have synthesized a selenium-containing compounds, which possess obvious anti-inflammatory activity. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the protective effects of the selenium-containing compound 34# in LPS-induced ALI in mice as well as its underlying mechanism. Compound 34# was found to inhibit LPS-induced macrophage inflammatory cytokine release. These effects were observed to be produced via suppression of the MAPKs/AP-1 pathway. Compound 34# was also noted to attenuate the LPS-induced lung inflammation in mice with ALI. The corresponding results suggested that compound 34# possesses remarkable protective effects on LPS-induced ALI. Furthermore, the MAPKs/AP-1 pathway may prove to be its the underlying mechanism. Accordingly, compound 34# may serve as a potential candidate for the prevention of ALI.