Effect of Sphingosine 1-Phosphate on Cyclo-Oxygenase-2 Expression, Prostaglandin E2 Secretion, and β2-Adrenergic Receptor Desensitization

Tachyphylaxis of the β2-adrenergic receptor limits the efficacy of bronchodilatory β2-agonists in respiratory disease. Cellular studies in airway smooth muscle (ASM) have shown that inflammatory mediators and infectious stimuli reduce β2-adrenergic responsiveness in a cyclo-oxygenase (COX)-2–mediated, prostaglandin E2 (PGE2)–dependant manner. Herein, we show that sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P), a bioactive sphingolipid that plays an important role in pathophysiology of asthma, also induces β2-adrenergic receptor desensitization in bronchial ASM cells and exerts hyporesponsiveness to β2-agonists. We treated ASM cells with S1P (1 μM) for up to 24 hours and then examined the temporal kinetics of COX-2 mRNA expression, protein up-regulation, and PGE2 secretion. S1P significantly enhanced COX-2 expression and PGE2 secretion, and this was repressed by the selective COX-2 inhibitor celecoxib, the corticosteroid dexamethasone, or small interfering RNA (siRNA) knockdown of COX-2 expression. In combination with anot...