Esketamine mitigates lung injury in COPD rat models under mechanical ventilation: An RNA-sequencing and bioinformatics analysis of serum exosome miRNA profiles.
Gene August 20, 2025 Ang Liu, Xiao-Hua Gao, Yu Mao et al. 3 citations
In a rat model of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) subjected to mechanical ventilation, esketamine reduced lung injury. Rats given esketamine showed improved lung structure, less inflammation, and better respiratory mechanics compared to untreated COPD rats. Measures including peak airway pressure, wet-to-dry lung weight ratio, and lung permeability all improved. Analysis of serum exosome microRNAs identified several that were downregulated after esketamine treatment, including rno-miR-143-3p, rno-miR-130a-3p, rno-miR-505-5p, rno-miR-122-5p, rno-miR-145-5p, and rno-miR-1b. These miRNAs regulate genes in pathways such as TGF-beta, PI3K-Akt, mTOR, and Ras signaling, which are involved in inflammation, fibrosis, and cellular stress. The findings suggest esketamine may protect against ventilation-induced lung injury in COPD.