HIF1α-Induced Glycolysis in Macrophage Is Essential for the Protective Effect of Ouabain during Endotoxemia

Abstract EN

Ouabain, a steroid binding to the Na+/K+-ATPase, has several pharmacological effects.

In addition to the recognized effects of blood pressure, there is more convincing evidence suggesting that ouabain is involved in immunologic functions and inflammation.

Hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α) is a metabolic regulator which plays a considerable role in immune responses.

Previous studies had shown that HIF-1α-induced glycolysis results in functional reshaping in macrophages.

In this study, we investigated the role of glycolytic pathway activation in the anti-inflammatory effect of ouabain.

We found that ouabain is involved in anti-inflammatory effects both in vivo and in vitro.

Additionally, ouabain can inhibit LPS-induced upregulation of GLUT1 and HK2 at the transcriptional level.

GM-CSF pretreatment almost completely reversed the inhibitory effect of ouabain on LPS-induced release of proinflammatory cytokines.

Alterations in glycolytic pathway activation were required for the anti-inflammatory effect of ouabain.

Ouabain can significantly inhibit the upregulation of HIF-1α at the protein level.

Our results also revealed that the overexpression of HIF-1α can reverse the anti-inflammatory effect of ouabain.

Thus, we conclude that the HIF-1α-dependent glycolytic pathway is essential for the anti-inflammatory effect of ouabain.