Artesunate ameliorates cigarette smoke-induced airway remodelling via PPAR-γ/TGF-β1/Smad2/3 signalling pathway

BACKGROUND: Airway remodelling is the major pathological feature of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and leads to poorly reversible airway obstruction. Current pharmacological interventions are ineffective in controlling airway remodelling. In the present study, we investigated the potential role of artesunate in preventing and treating airway remodelling and the underlying molecular mechanisms in vitro and in vivo. METHODS: A COPD rat model was established by cigarette smoke (CS) exposure. After 12 weeks of artesunate treatment, pathological changes in the lung tissues of COPD rats were examined by ELISA and histochemical and immunohistochemical staining. A lung functional experiment was also carried out to elucidate the effects of artesunate. Human bronchial smooth muscle (HBSM) cells were used to clarify the underlying molecular mechanisms. RESULTS: Artesunate treatment inhibited CS-induced airway inflammation and oxidative stress in a dose-dependent manner and significantly reduced airway remodelling by inhibiting α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and cyclin D1 expression. PPAR-γ was upregulated and TGF-β1/Smad2/3 signalling was inactivated by artesunate treatment in vivo and in vitro. Furthermore, PPAR-γ knockdown by siRNA transfection abolished artesunate-mediated inhibition of HBSM cell proliferation by activiting the TGF-β1/Smad2/3 signalling pathway and downregulating the expression of α-SMA and cyclin D1 in HBSM cells. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that artesunate could be used to treat airway remodelling by regulating PPAR-γ/TGF-β1/Smad signalling in the context of COPD. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12931-021-01687-y.