Zanubrutinib ameliorates lipopolysaccharide-induced acute lung injury via regulating macrophage polarization

Acute lung injury (ALI) is a disease characterized by pulmonary diffusion dysfunction and its exacerbation stage is acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), which may develop to multiple organ failure and seriously threatens human health. ALI has high mortality rates and few effective treatments, thus effective protection measures for ALI are becoming increasingly important. Macrophages play a key regulatory role in the pathogenesis of ALI, and the degree of macrophage polarization is closely related to the severity and prognosis of ALI. In this study, we evaluated the effects of Zanubrutinib (ZB), a BTK small molecule inhibitor approved by the FDA for the treatment of cell lymphoma, on macrophage polarization and acute lung injury. In the in vivo study, we constructed a mouse model of Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute lung injury and found that ZB could improve the acute injury of mouse lungs by inhibiting the secretion of proinflammatory factors and promoting the secretion of anti-inflammatory factors, reduce the number of inflammatory cells in alveolar lavage fluid, and then alleviate the inflammatory response. In vivo and in vitro studies have shown that ZB could inhibit the M1 macrophage polarization and promote the M2 macrophage polarization. Subsequent mechanistic studies revealed that ZB could inhibit the macrophage M1 polarization via targeting BTK activation and inhibiting JAK2/STAT1 and TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signaling pathways, and promote the macrophage M2 polarization by promoting the activation of STAT6 and PI3K / Akt signaling pathways. In summary, ZB has shown therapeutic effect in LPS-induced acute lung injury in mice, which provides a potential candidate drug to treat acute lung injury.