Role of leukotriene A4 hydrolase aminopeptidase in the pathogenesis of emphysema.

The leukotriene A4 hydrolase (LTA4H) is a bifunctional enzyme with epoxy hydrolase and aminopeptidase activities. We hypothesize that the LTA4H aminopeptidase activity alleviates neutrophilic inflammation, which contributes to cigarette smoke (CS)-induced emphysema by clearing proline-glycine-proline (PGP), a triamino acid chemokine known to induce chemotaxis of neutrophils. To investigate the biological contributions made by the LTA4H aminopeptidase activity in CS-induced emphysema, we exposed wild-type mice to CS over 5 mo while treating them with a vehicle or a pharmaceutical agent (4MDM) that selectively augments the LTA4H aminopeptidase without affecting the bioproduction of leukotriene B4. Emphysematous phenotypes were assessed by premortem lung physiology with a small animal ventilator and by postmortem histologic morphometry. CS exposure acidified the airspaces and induced localization of the LTA4H protein into the nuclei of the epithelial cells. This resulted in accumulation of PGP in the airspaces by suppressing the LTA4H aminopeptidase activity. When the LTA4H aminopeptidase activity was selectively augmented by 4MDM, the levels of PGP in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and infiltration of neutrophils into the lungs were significantly reduced without affecting the levels of leukotriene B4. This protected murine lungs from CS-induced emphysematous alveolar remodeling. In conclusion, CS exposure promotes the development of CS-induced emphysema by suppressing the enzymatic activities of the LTA4H aminopeptidase in lung tissues and accumulating PGP and neutrophils in the airspaces. However, restoring the leukotriene A4 aminopeptidase activity with a pharmaceutical agent protected murine lungs from developing CS-induced emphysema.