Carvedilol alleviates lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute lung injury by inhibiting Ras homolog family member A (RhoA)/ROCK activities

Carvedilol possess multiple functions such as antioxidation and neuroprotection RhoA/ROCK is reported to participate in acute lung injury (ALI). The aim of the present study was to explore the role of carvedilol in LPS-induced ALI. BEAS2B cells were subjected to LPS for the construction of in vitro ALI model. After that, the protective effects of carvedilol were evaluated by Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8). The activities of RhoA/ROCK were then measured to confirm its association with carvedilol by quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR) and Western blot. Then, the cell viability, inflammatory responses, oxidative stress and apoptosis were detected by CCK-8, enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), oxidative stress detection kits, and TdT-mediated dUTP Nick-End Labeling (TUNEL) respectively. Inflammation- and apoptosis-related markers were also measured by Western blot. The cell viability reduced by LPS in BEAS2B cells was elevated by carvedilol. Moreover, RhoA/ROCK were found to be suppressed by carvedilol administration. The cell viability, inflammation, oxidative stress and apoptosis of LPS-induced BEAS2B cells were aggravated upon RhoA was overexpressed. Collectively, carvedilol exerts a protective effect against LPS-induced injury that could be ascribed to its anti-inflammatory and antioxidative character through modulating the RhoA/ROCK activities.