367 Introduction Sulfur mustard (SM) or 2,2-dichlorodiethyl sulide is avesicant warfare agent with devastating results (1) that was widely used during World War I (1–3) and also in the Iran–Iraq conlict (1980–1988) by Iraqi forces against Iranians (4). his highly reactive toxin binds to the biological compounds and leads to irreversible alkylation of nucleic acids and proteins. Collectively, the alterations of large molecules, especially the structure of DNA, are major cytotoxic and mutagenic efects of sulfur mustard (SM (5)). In addition to the diverse acute casualties, SM-afected individuals sufer from late involvement in various organs, including the skin, eyes and respiratory tract (6,7). Nowadays, as a consequence of exposure to SM (8), thousands of Iranians are sufering from late complica- tions (9–11), mainly in the respiratory tract. Bronchiolitis obliterans (BO), a type of inlammatory lung disease (12), RESEARCH ARTICLE Nuclear factor κB1/RelA mediates the inlammation and/or survival of human airway exposed to sulfur mustard Samaneh Yazdani 1,2 , Mohammad Hasan Karimfar 3,4 , Abbas Ali Imani Fooladi 5 , Leila Mirbagheri 6 , Majid Ebrahimi 1,7 , Mostafa Ghanei 1 , and Mohammad Reza Nourani 1 1 Chemical Injury Research Center, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran, 2 Department of Pathology, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine Sendai, Japan, 3 Department of Anatomy, Medical School, Zabol University of Medical Sciences, Zabol, Iran, 4 Department of Anatomy, Medical School, Ilam University of Medical Sciences, Ilam, Iran, 5 Applied Microbiology Research Center, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran, 6 Department of Biochemistry, Sciences and Technology Branch, Azad University, Tehran, Iran, and 7 Department of Orgamn Anatomy, Yamaguch University, Graduate School of Medicine, Ube, Japan Abstract Context: Sulfur mustard (SM) is known as an efective chemical agent and was used in the 1980s during the Iran–Iraq war against Iranians. At the present time, there are more than 40,000 people sufering from pulmonary lesions due to mustard gas in Iran. Though much is known about the gross pathology of SM damage, the molecular and cellular basis for this pathology is not well understood. Objective: One of the most important protein groups involved in inlammatory responses is nuclear factor κB protein (NF-κB1) family. They belong to the category of DNA-binding protein factors necessary for transcription of many proinlammatory molecules. In our research, we examined the role of NF-κB1/RelA in the pathophysiology of the lung. Materials and methods: We investigated 10 normal individuals and 20 SM induced patients. Expression of NF-κB1/ RelA in controls and the SM exposed samples was measured by real-time polymerase chain reaction and localization of NF-κB1 protein was detected by immunohistochemistry staining. Results: Our results revealed that expression levels of NF-κB1 and RelA were upregulated 0.64–6.50 fold and 0.83–8.34 fold, respectively, in the SM exposed patients in comparison with control samples. Discussion and conclusion: As far as we know, this is the irst inding of induction of NF-κB in patients exposed to SM. NF-κB1/RelA may play a major role in inlammation induced by mustard gas or even in cell survival in the bronchial wall of afected patients. Keywords: NF-κB1, RelA, bronchial wall, sulfur mustard Address for Correspondence: Nourani M.R. Chemical Injury Research Center, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Tel/ Fax: 98-21-88211523. E-mail: r.nourani@yahoo.com (Received 19 June 2011; revised 00 00 0000; accepted 29 June 2011) Journal of Receptors and Signal Transduction, 2011; 31(5): 367–373 © 2011 Informa Healthcare USA, Inc. ISSN 1079-9893 print/ISSN 1532-4281 online DOI: 10.3109/10799893.2011.602415 Journal of Receptors and Signal Transduction Downloaded from informahealthcare.com by Yamaguchi University on 09/19/11 For personal use only.