Urolithin A induces protective autophagy to alleviate inflammation, oxidative stress, and endoplasmic reticulum stress in pediatric pneumonia

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the therapeutic effect of urolithin A (UA) on pediatric pneumonia and the underlying mechanisms. METHODS: The pediatric infantile pneumonia model was constructed by intratracheal induction of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in 1-week-old C57BL/6 mice (male, 4-5 g). UA was also injected intraperitoneally. Lung tissues in each group were examined by histological analysis. Autophagy(definition), inflammation, and oxidative stress were assessed by enzyme-linked--immunosorbent serologic assay and immunoblot analysis. Moreover, pyrophosis and endoplasmic reticulum stress were also evaluated by immunoblot analysis. RESULTS: UA alleviated lung inflammation in mice, and inhibited cell pyrophosis. In addition, UA A relieved both oxidative and endoplasmic reticulum stress. Furthermore, we found that UA alleviated pneumonia damage by inducing protective autophagy. CONCLUSION: UA induced protective autophagy to alleviate inflammation, oxidative stress, and endoplasmic reticulum stress in pediatric pneumonia.