Effects of exogenous zinc on expression and phosphorylation of EGFR in rat lung tissue

Aim:To observe the effects of exogenous zinc solution on expression and activation of EGF receptor(EGFR) in rat lung tissue and the possible mechanism.Methods:Twenty healthy Wistar rats were randomly allocated into 4 groups(DMSO+PBS,DMSO+zinc sulfate,PD153035+PBS,PD153035+zinc sulfate),and each group had 5 rats.After anesthesia,DMSO or PD153035(1 μmol/L) was pre-instilled accordingly at 0.5 mL/kg,and after 30 min,PBS or zinc sulfate(100 μmol/L) was instilled.The rats were sacrificed and lung tissue was homogenized.The supernatant protein was subjected to Western blot for detection of EGFR expression and phosphorylation.Results:Pre-instillation of PD153035 could down-regulate the expression and phosphorylation of EGFR,instillation of zinc sulfate could up-regulate the expression and phosphorylation of EGFR,and the 2 factors had interaction(EGFR:Fpre-instillation=249.896,Finstillation=242.127,Finteraction=305.643;EGFR phosphorylation:Fpre-instillation=252.347,Finstillation=264.115,Finteraction=294.239,all P0.05).Conclusion:Tracheal instillation of zinc sulfate increases EGFR expression and phosphorylation in rat lungs,which may be involved in the phosphorylation of tyrosine kinase.