High‐altitude hypoxia‐induced rat alveolar cell injury by increasing autophagy

Autophagy has been implicated in the pathogenesis of various lung diseases. This study aimed to investigate the role of autophagy in lung injury induced by high‐altitude hypoxia. Wistar rats were randomized into four groups for exposure to normal altitude or high altitude for 1, 7, 14 and 21 days with no treatment or with the treatment of 1 mg/kg rapamycin or 2 mg/kg 3‐methyladenine (3‐MA) for consecutive 21 days respectively. In control rats, the alveolar structure was intact with regularly arranged cells. However, inflammatory cell infiltration and shrunk alveoli were observed in rats exposed to hypoxia. Rapamycin treatment led to many shrunken alveoli with a large number of red blood cells in them. In contrast, 3‐MA treatment led to almost intact alveoli or only a few shrunken alveoli. Compared to the control group exposure to high‐altitude hypoxia for longer periods resulted in the aggravation of the lung injury, the formation of autophagosomes with a double‐membrane structure and increased levels of Beclin‐1 and LC3‐II in alveolar tissues. Rapamycin treatment resulted in significant increase in Beclin‐1 and LC3‐II levels and further aggravation of alveolar tissue damage, while 3‐MA treatment led to opposite effects. In conclusion, exposure to high‐altitude hypoxia can induce autophagy of alveolar cells, which may be an important mechanism of high‐altitude hypoxia‐induced lung injury. The inhibition of autophagy may be a promising therapy strategy for high‐altitude hypoxia‐induced lung injury.