TY - JOUR
T1 - Estrogen effects on human airway smooth muscle involve cAMP and protein kinase A
AU - Townsend, Elizabeth A.
AU - Sathish, Venkatachalem
AU - Thompson, Michael A.
AU - Pabelick, Christina M.
AU - Prakash, Y. S.
PY - 2012/11/15
Y1 - 2012/11/15
N2 - Clinically observed differences in airway reactivity and asthma exacerbations in women at different life stages suggest a role for sex steroids in modulating airway function although their targets and mechanisms of action are still being explored. We have previously shown that clinically relevant concentrations of exogenous estrogen acutely decrease intracellular calcium ([Ca2+]i) in human airway smooth muscle (ASM), thereby facilitating bronchodilation. In this study, we hypothesized that estrogens modulate cyclic nucleotide regulation, resulting in decreased [Ca2+]i in human ASM. In Fura-2-loaded human ASM cells, 1 nM 17β-estradiol (E2) potentiated the inhibitory effect of the β-adrenoceptor (β-AR) agonist isoproterenol (ISO; 100 nM) on histamine-mediated Ca2+ entry. Inhibition of protein kinase A (PKA) activity (KT5720; 100 nM) attenuated E2 effects on [Ca2+]i. Acute treatment with E2 increased cAMP levels in ASM cells comparable to that of ISO (100 pM). In acetylcholine-contracted airways from female guinea pigs or female humans, E2 potentiated ISO-induced relaxation. These novel data suggest that, in human ASM, physiologically relevant concentrations of estrogens act via estrogen receptors (ERs) and the cAMP pathway to nongenomically reduce [Ca2+]i, thus promoting bronchodilation. Activation of ERs may be a novel adjunct therapeutic avenue in reactive airway diseases in combination with established cAMP-activating therapies such as β2-agonists.
AB - Clinically observed differences in airway reactivity and asthma exacerbations in women at different life stages suggest a role for sex steroids in modulating airway function although their targets and mechanisms of action are still being explored. We have previously shown that clinically relevant concentrations of exogenous estrogen acutely decrease intracellular calcium ([Ca2+]i) in human airway smooth muscle (ASM), thereby facilitating bronchodilation. In this study, we hypothesized that estrogens modulate cyclic nucleotide regulation, resulting in decreased [Ca2+]i in human ASM. In Fura-2-loaded human ASM cells, 1 nM 17β-estradiol (E2) potentiated the inhibitory effect of the β-adrenoceptor (β-AR) agonist isoproterenol (ISO; 100 nM) on histamine-mediated Ca2+ entry. Inhibition of protein kinase A (PKA) activity (KT5720; 100 nM) attenuated E2 effects on [Ca2+]i. Acute treatment with E2 increased cAMP levels in ASM cells comparable to that of ISO (100 pM). In acetylcholine-contracted airways from female guinea pigs or female humans, E2 potentiated ISO-induced relaxation. These novel data suggest that, in human ASM, physiologically relevant concentrations of estrogens act via estrogen receptors (ERs) and the cAMP pathway to nongenomically reduce [Ca2+]i, thus promoting bronchodilation. Activation of ERs may be a novel adjunct therapeutic avenue in reactive airway diseases in combination with established cAMP-activating therapies such as β2-agonists.
KW - Asthma
KW - Bronchial smooth muscle
KW - Bronchoconstriction
KW - Bronchodilation
KW - Calcium
KW - Sex steroid
KW - β-adrenoceptor
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U2 - 10.1152/ajplung.00023.2012
DO - 10.1152/ajplung.00023.2012
M3 - Article
C2 - 23002077
AN - SCOPUS:84869162750
SN - 1040-0605
VL - 303
SP - L923-L928
JO - American Journal of Physiology - Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology
JF - American Journal of Physiology - Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology
IS - 10
ER -