The airway epithelial barrier, which defends against external pathogens, is compromised in bronchial asthma. This study investigated the roles of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and specific purinergic receptors in airway epithelial barrier function. Using the 16HBE14o- human airway epithelial cell line, we measured barrier integrity using transepithelial electrical resistance and the apparent paracellular permeability coefficient. ATP enhanced barrier integrity in a dose-dependent manner without affecting cell proliferation. Real-time PCR revealed an increased expression of tight and adherens junction proteins, including E-cadherin and occludin, following ATP stimulation. Our findings suggest that P2Y12 contributes to ATP-related purinergic signaling associated with enhanced airway epithelial barrier integrity. These findings suggest that ATP-related purinergic signaling via P2Y12 may contribute to the regulation of airway epithelial barrier integrity in vitro. Further studies in more physiologically relevant systems are warranted to determine the clinical relevance of these observations.
Tsuya et al. (Wed,) studied this question.