Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40176049›Full record

ArticleRespiratory research2025

Heme-induced lung injury in human precision cut lung slices: a new model for acute lung injury.

Namrata Kewalramani, Carlos Machahua, Thomas Michael Marti, Cas Zandbergen, Savvina Chortarea, Jessica Beretta-Piccoli, Christophe von Garnier, Patrick Dorn, Kleanthis Fytianos, Manuela Funke-Chambour

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Article in Respiratory research, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

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0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Namrata KewalramaniDepartment for Pulmonary Medicine, Allergology and Clinical Immunology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland. Namrata.kewalramani@gmail.com.
Carlos MachahuaDepartment for Pulmonary Medicine, Allergology and Clinical Immunology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
Thomas Michael MartiDepartment of General Thoracic Surgery, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, Bern, Switzerland.
Cas ZandbergenCSL Behring, Research, CSL Biologics Research Center, Bern, Switzerland.
Savvina ChortareaCSL Behring, Research, CSL Biologics Research Center, Bern, Switzerland.
Jessica Beretta-PiccoliCSL Behring, Research, CSL Biologics Research Center, Bern, Switzerland.
Christophe von GarnierDivision of Pulmonology, Department of Medicine, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) and University of Lausanne, 1011, Lausanne, Switzerland.
Patrick DornDepartment of General Thoracic Surgery, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, Bern, Switzerland.
Kleanthis FytianosCSL Behring, Research, CSL Biologics Research Center, Bern, Switzerland.
Manuela Funke-ChambourDepartment for Pulmonary Medicine, Allergology and Clinical Immunology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAcute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) causes high mortality and has no specific pharmacological treatment. Scarcity of drugs against ARDS is in part due to the lack of models for ARDS. As raised serum heme levels are associated with higher mortality in patients with ARDS, we hypothesised that circulating heme contributes to ARDS pathology and can induce lung injury resembling human disease. We aimed to develop a new model for acute lung injury and ARDS research with heme-induced injury in human precision cut lung slices (PCLS).

methodsWe analysed heme and its degrading enzymes along with inflammatory cytokines in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and ARDS compared to healthy adult subjects. In PCLS, we studied effects of heme on cell survival, membrane integrity, the transcriptome by gene expression and the proteome by protein expression analysis or ELISA. We also tested synergistical effects with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on cell survival in addition to heme to simulate bacterial infection.

resultsPatients with COVID-19 and ARDS had increased serum levels of heme and heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1) compared to controls. In PCLS, heme induced cell death in a dose-dependent manner, stimulated pro-inflammatory and injury signals and triggered changes to the extracellular matrix (ECM). Comparative analyses of the lung transcriptomic and proteomic signatures revealed 27 common markers (log2 fold change greater than 1, at adjusted (adj) p-value < 0.05 significant), most of which were inflammatory. Similar inflammatory cytokines were raised in blood from patients with COVID-19 and ARDS compared to controls. LPS did not increase cytotoxicity in addition to heme.

conclusionHeme induced inflammatory cytokine release and cell death in human PCLS, resembling the patterns observed in blood samples from patients with COVID-19 and ARDS. Thus, heme-stimulated PCLS represent a novel ex vivo model for mechanistic studies for acute lung injury and ARDS.

Indexed as

Acute Lung InjuryCOVID-19HemeLungRespiratory Distress SyndromeAdultAgedCytokinesFemaleHeme Oxygenase-1HumansMaleMiddle AgedSARS-CoV-2CytokinesHemeHeme Oxygenase-1Acute respiratory distress syndromeHemeInflammationPrecision cut lung slicesProteomicsTranscriptomics

Identifiers

PMID40176049
PMCPMC11966866

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.