ABCA1 inhibits PDGF‐induced proliferation and migration of rat airway smooth muscle cell through blocking TLR2/NF‐κB/NFATc1 signaling

Abstract Airway remodeling is a key feature of asthma, characterized by abnormal proliferation and migration of airway smooth muscle cells (ASMCs). ABCA1, a member of the ATP‐binding cassette family of active transporters, plays an essential role in the progression of lung diseases. However, the contributions of ABCA1 in ASMCs remain to be explored. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the functional role and potential molecular mechanism of ABCA1 in platelet derived growth factor (PDGF)‐induced primary rat ASMC proliferation and migration. We observed that PDGF‐ led to a significant decrease in the expression of ABCA1. Overexpression of ABCA1 strikingly suppressed PDGF‐induced ASMC proliferation accompanied by a decrease in the expression of PCAN stimulated by PDGF. Additionally, augmentation of ABCA1 dramatically restrained PDGF‐induced migration concomitant with attenuate the accumulation of MMP‐2 and MMP‐9 in response to PDGF. Furthermore, forced expression of ABCA1 enhanced contractile phenotype markers proteins including α‐SMA along with sm‐MHC, sm‐α‐actin, and calponin reduced by PDGF. Meanwhile, introduction of ABCA1 depressed ECM over‐deposition induced by PDGF as reflected by a decrease in the expression of ECM protein collagen I and fibronectin. More importantly, addition of ABCA1 effectively suppressed the activity of TLR2/NF‐κB signaling as well as diminished the expression of NFATc1 in rat ASMCs after PDGF stimulation. Interestingly, blockage of TLR2/NF‐κB signaling effectively inhibited PDGF‐induced proliferation and migration, these effects were similar to ABCA1. Taken together, these data implicated that ABCA1 suppressed PDGF‐induced proliferation, migration, and contraction in rat ASMCs at least partly through TLR2/NF‐κB/NFATc1 signaling, which might offer hope for the future treatment of airway remodeling in asthma.