Comprehensive transcriptome sequencing and biochemical studies revealed that acrolein induced lung injury in BEAS-2B cells and male rats through the lncRNA MIR155HG/miR-155-5p/CD200R1 and Nrf2/SLC7A11/GPX4 ferroptosis pathways.

Acrolein is a significant high priority hazardous air pollutant. This research explore the relationship of acrolein-induced ferroptosis with the pathogenesis of lung injury by combining cellular, transcriptome, and animal-level studies. The results in vivo and in vitro models indicated that a total of 18,868 differenced lncRNAs and 15,639 differenced mRNAs were obtained after acrolein exposure. After screening, 636 lncRNAs and 214 mRNAs were obviously different of the acrolein injured group with the control group. Differential genes were mainly enriched in the iron ion binding, tissue homeostasis, etc. Among them, lncRNA MIR155HG significantly responded to the toxic effects of acrolein, the knockdown of lncRNA MIR155HG could inhibit miR-155-5p expression, promote CD200R1 expression, and improve cell viability. Furthermore, it effectively inhibited acrolein-induced the activation of ferroptosis pathway in BEAS-2B cells and lung tissue, indicating that lncRNA MIR155HG might be a potential new target for the inhibition of acrolein toxicity. LncRNA-MIR155HG/miR-155-5p/CD200R1 axis played an significant role in the lung injury, and induced ferroptosis by regulating the Nrf2/SLC7A11/GPX4 pathway. This study is the first to reveal that acrolein exposure significantly affected lncRNA and mRNA expression in BEAS-2B cells, and found that lncRNA MIR155HG effectively regulated acrolein-induced ferroptosis pathway, providing novel insights for the treatment of lung injury.