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Biomedical subjects

C E Hack

Publications and source records attributed to C E Hack.

At least 307 records · Page 17Linked to original sources

Reduction of contact activation related fibrinolytic activity in factor XII deficient patients. Further evidence for the role of the contact system in fibrinolysis in vivo.

In this study the contribution of activation of the contact system to activation of the fibrinolytic system in vivo was investigated in healthy volunteers and in factor XII deficient patients. The plasminogen activating activity in plasma from healthy volunteers after infusion of desamino D-arginine vasopressin (DDAVP) was only partially blocked (for 77%) with specific antibodies to tissue-type plasminogen activator and urokinase type plasminogen activator. The residual activity could be quenched by a monoclonal antibody that inhibits factor XII activity and was not present in patients with a factor XII deficiency. The formation of plasmin upon the DDAVP stimulus as reflected by circulating plasmin-alpha 2-antiplasmin complexes was lower in factor XII deficient patients than in healthy volunteers. Activation of the contact system occurred after DDAVP infusion in healthy volunteers and was absent in factor XII deficient patients. These results indicate that DDAVP induces a plasminogen activating activity that is partially dependent on activation of the contact system and that contributes to the overall fibrinolytic activity as indicated by the formation of plasmin-alpha 2-antiplasmin complexes. This fibrinolytic activity is impaired in factor XII deficient patients which may explain the occurrence of thromboembolic complications in these patients.

Adult↗

Interleukin-6 and its relation to the humoral immune response and clinical parameters in burned patients.

The cytokine interleukin-6, which has been shown to be increased in patients with burn injuries, is produced by activated monocytes and endothelial cells and has many in vitro activities, including stimulation of acute-phase protein synthesis in hepatocytes, immunoglobulin synthesis in B lymphocytes, and stimulation of growth of megakaryocytes. In 13 patients with a mean of 31% full-thickness burns, we studied the relation of serum interleukin-6 to clinical parameters and parameters of the acute-phase response and immunoglobulin production. Interleukin-6 was already elevated within hours after the injury was sustained, and it remained elevated for several weeks. All components of the acute-phase response were observed: fever, tachycardia, leukocytosis with an associated left shift, elevation of C-reactive protein and alpha 1-antitrypsin, and a decrease in albumin levels. In the second week after burn injury, immunoglobulin M levels peaked, followed by a prolonged elevation of immunoglobulin G levels. Thrombocyte counts initially decreased and rebounded to supranormal levels after 2 weeks. Interleukin-6 levels were positively correlated with acute-phase responses. We believe that the production of interleukin-6 induces the synthesis of acute-phase proteins. High interleukin-6 levels may also be an etiologic factor in the marked immunoglobulin response observed. Likewise, the relation between the megakaryocyte-promoting activity of interleukin-6 and the rebound thrombocytosis requires further investigation.

Adult↗

Experimental endotoxemia in humans: analysis of cytokine release and coagulation, fibrinolytic, and complement pathways.

Endotoxemia was evoked by bolus injection of Escherichia coli endotoxin (2 ng/kg body weight) in six healthy subjects to investigate the early kinetics of cytokine release in relation to the development of clinical and hematologic abnormalities frequently seen in gram-negative septicemia. The plasma concentration of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) increased markedly after 30 to 45 minutes, and reached a maximal level after 60 to 90 minutes. In each volunteer, the initial increase of plasma interleukin 6 (IL-6) concentrations occurred 15 minutes after the initial TNF increase, and maximal IL-6 concentrations were reached at 120 to 150 minutes. A transient increase in body temperature and pulse rate occurred simultaneously with the initial TNF and IL-6 increases, whereas a significant decrease in blood pressure occurred after 120 minutes. These changes were proportional to the changes in TNF and IL-6 concentrations. Coagulation activation, as assessed by a rise of prothrombin fragments and thrombin-antithrombin III complexes, was noted after 120 minutes, in the absence of activation of the contact system. A two- to sixfold increase in the concentrations of tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) and von Willebrand factor antigen indicated endothelial cell activation. This increase started at 120 and 90 minutes, respectively. The release of t-PA coincided with activation of the fibrinolytic pathway, as measured by plasmin-alpha 2-antiplasmin complexes. The fibrinolytic activity of t-PA was subsequently offset by release of plasminogen activator inhibitor, observed 150 minutes after the endotoxin injection, and reaching a peak at 240 minutes. No complement activation was detected. These results show that in humans endotoxin induces an early, rapidly counteracted fibrinolytic response, and a more long-lasting activation of thrombin by a mechanism other than contact system activation. In addition, our data suggest that endotoxin-induced leukopenia and endothelial cell activation are mediated by TNF.

Adult↗

Preliminary report: complement activation in wasp-sting anaphylaxis.

The generation of the anaphylatoxin C3a was measured after a wasp-sting challenge in eight patients with previous anaphylactic reactions to wasp stings. Whereas there was no change in C3a in one patient who showed no reaction and only a slight rise in three patients with mild reactions, C3a rose substantially in the four patients with severe anaphylactic reactions. This complement activation is the first in-vitro variable which correlates with the severity of wasp-sting anaphylactic reactions. A role for complement activation in the pathophysiology of wasp-sting anaphylaxis is therefore suggested.

Adult↗

Activation of coagulation after administration of tumor necrosis factor to normal subjects.

Tumor necrosis factor has been implicated in the activation of blood coagulation in septicemia, a condition commonly associated with intravascular coagulation and disturbances of hemostasis. To evaluate the early dynamics and the route of the in vivo coagulative response to tumor necrosis factor, we performed a controlled study in six healthy men, monitoring the activation of the common and intrinsic pathways of coagulation with highly sensitive and specific radioimmunoassays. Recombinant human tumor necrosis factor, administered as an intravenous bolus injection (50 micrograms per square meter of body-surface area), induced an early and short-lived rise in circulating levels of the activation peptide of factor X, reaching maximal values after 30 to 45 minutes (mean +/- SEM increase after 45 minutes, 34.2 +/- 18.2 percent; tumor necrosis factor vs. saline, P = 0.015). This was followed by a gradual and prolonged increase in the plasma concentration of the prothrombin fragment F1+2, peaking after four to five hours (mean increase after five hours, 348.0 +/- 144.8 percent; tumor necrosis factor vs. saline, P less than 0.0001). These findings signify the formation of factor Xa (activated factor X) and the activation of prothrombin. Activation of the intrinsic pathway could not be detected by a series of measurements of the plasma levels of factor XII, prekallikrein, factor XIIa-C1 inhibitor complexes, kallikrein-C1 inhibitor complexes, and the activation peptide of factor IX. The delay between the maximal activation of factor X and that of prothrombin amounted to several hours, indicating that neutralization of factor Xa activity was slow. We conclude that a single injection of tumor necrosis factor elicits a rapid and sustained activation of the common pathway of coagulation, probably induced through the extrinsic route. Our results suggest that tumor necrosis factor could play an important part in the early activation of the hemostatic mechanism in septicemia.

Adult↗

Demonstration in human plasma of a form of C3 that has the conformation of "C3b-like C3".

Disruption of the thioester in native C3 yields a C3 molecule that functionally resembles C3b. It has been proposed that this C3 molecule (iC3) plays a key role in initiation of the alternative pathway of the C system. However, its presence in plasma has never been demonstrated. We investigated the presence of iC3 in plasma, using mAb that recognize iC3 as well as C3 activation products but not native C3. One of these mAb, anti-C3-5, which binds iC3 via its C3a moiety, was used together with polyclonal 125I-anti-C3c to develop a RIA for iC3. Plasma incubated with methylamine yielded a strong response in this RIA, whereas neither fresh plasma nor serum in which the C system had been activated by incubation with aggregated IgG, did show this strong response. The specificity of this RIA was further demonstrated by additional experiments including experiments with purified preparations of the various forms of C3. Mean level of iC3 in freshly obtained plasma samples from 10 normal donors was 27 nmol/liter, which is 0.49% of total C3. Analysis by SDS-PAGE of C3 species that had been immunoprecipitated by mAb antiC3-5, revealed that some iC3 consisted of C3 molecules with an intact alpha-chain whereas another part consisted of iC3 molecules with an alpha-chain that had been cleaved by factor I. Thus, this study shows that fresh human plasma contains a C3 species with the conformation of "C3b-like C3" (iC3).

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗

Methylprednisolone induces activation of the contact system in a dose-dependent manner. An in vitro study.

The effect of methylprednisolone sodium succinate (MP) on the contact system of plasma was studied in human citrated pool plasma. Contact activation was demonstrated by the presence of plasma kallikrein (KK) activity and activated Hageman factor (FXIIa) and/or KK in complex with C1 inhibitor (C1inh), detected by chromogenic peptide substrates or radioimmunoassays, using monoclonal antibodies directed to neodeterminants exposed on complexed C1inh, respectively. When plasma and different doses of MP were incubated for a period of 24 hours, the highest dose of MP (10 mg/ml) gave rapid and marked increases in KK activities and concentrations of C1inh complexes. MP at 5 mg/ml plasma also induced activation of the contact system, although this activation was less pronounced. Even the lower dose of MP (1 mg/ml), which is equivalent to doses used in humans, increased plasma concentrations of KK-C1inh complexes. In conclusion, this in vitro study shows that MP in a dose-dependent way activates the contact system of plasma.

Complement C1 Inactivator Proteins↗

Activation of the complement system during immunotherapy with recombinant IL-2. Relation to the development of side effects.

Therapy with high doses of rIL-2 is complicated by the occurrence of hypotensive reactions and the development of a vascular leakage syndrome (VLS). In four patients, who together received seven cycles of high doses of IL-2 (up to 12 x 10(6) U per m2 per day), and who developed these side effects, we observed an unexpected increase in plasma levels of C3a, indicating activation of the complement system. C3a levels markedly increased during IL-2 therapy from 4 nmol/liter (mean level) before therapy to 23 nmol/liter at the end of the cycle. Activation of C3 occurred via the classical pathway inasmuch as C4a levels also increased during therapy. Mean daily C3a levels correlated with signs of the VLS, such as daily weight gain (p less than 0.001) and albumin levels (inverse correlation, p less than 0.001). In five additional patients, who together received seven cycles of lower doses of IL-2 (2 x 10(6) U per m2 per day) and who did not develop a VLS, only moderate increases in C3a levels (up to 13 nmol/liter) were observed. The highest levels at the first day of the regimen (mean: 7 nmol/liter) occurred 8 h after the IL-2 infusion. Thus, administration of IL-2 induces a dose-dependent activation of the complement system in vivo, which appeared to be related to the development of side effects of this therapy, such as the VLS.

Adult↗

A model for the interplay of inflammatory mediators in sepsis--a study in 48 patients.

Previously we studied levels of the cytokine IL-6 and activation of the complement and contact system and of neutrophils in a group of 48 patients with sepsis. Some of these inflammatory parameters appeared to be associated with a poor prognosis. Here we report on the relationships of C4a and C3a (complement activation products), of factor XII and prekallikrein (contact system proteins), of elastase (a protease released by activated neutrophils) and of the cytokine IL-6 to hemodynamic and biochemical parameters measured in those 48 patients at the time of admission to the Intensive Care Unit. No significant correlations between any inflammatory parameter and either systemic vascular resistance or cardiac index were found. Mean arterial pressure significantly correlated with both factor XII and prekallikrein levels. Lactate correlated with C3a and C4a, with elastase, and in particular, with IL-6, whereas it did not correlate with either factor XII or prekallikrein. Platelet numbers inversely correlated with both C3a and C4a, as well as with elastase and IL-6, whereas they positively correlated with factor XII and prekallikrein. Based on these findings we propose a model for the interplay of these inflammatory mediators in the pathogenesis of sepsis. This model takes into consideration the occurrence of capillary leakage, shock, disseminated intravascular coagulation, thrombocytopenia and of acute phase reactions in sepsis.

Complement Activation↗

Complement fragments C3b and iC3b coupled to latex induce a respiratory burst in human neutrophils.

The complement fragments C3b and iC3b were purified from human serum by affinity chromatography with Sepharose-coupled monoclonal antibody against the C3d region of C3. The resulting preparations were more than 95% pure and contained less than 0.1% native IgG. Purified C3b and iC3b were coupled to latex beads (0.8 micron diameter) by means of F(ab')2 fragments of monoclonal antibodies against the beta chain or the C3d region of C3, thus orienting the C3b and the iC3b on the latex with the C3b- and iC3b-specific regions outwards. These particles were found to activate the respiratory burst of freshly isolated human neutrophils to 20-30% of the maximal capacity. Latex particles randomly coated with C3b or iC3b were about 3 times less stimulatory. C3b, iC3b and IgG coupled to latex in an oriented fashion were about equally effective in stimulating the respiratory burst. Neutrophils from a patient with a total deficiency of CR3 responded normally to C3b-coated latex but did not respond to iC3b-coated latex. A monoclonal antibody against the alpha chain of CR3 inhibited the activation by iC3b-coated latex and a polyclonal antibody against CR1 partially inhibited the activation by C3b-coated latex. We found an additive effect between IgG-coated latex and C3b-coated latex, regardless of the presence of IgG and C3b on the same particle or on different particles. Thus, binding of ligands to either CR1 or CR3 per se is sufficient to induce an activating signal to the NADPH oxidase in human neutrophils.

Antigens, CD↗

Significance of low molecular weight C1q in systemic lupus erythematosus.

The significance of high serum concentrations of low molecular weight C1q (LMW-C1q) in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) was studied. Concentrations of LMW-C1q were increased in SLE, but not in rheumatoid arthritis or acute poststreptococcal glomerulonephritis. Concentrations of LMW-C1q in SLE serum samples correlated with titres of anti-dsDNA and were inversely related to concentrations of normal C1q and C3. Serial studies in six patients, who had rising anti-dsDNA titres and who developed a major exacerbation requiring admission to hospital, showed that LMW-C1q increased in parallel with anti-dsDNA, reaching peak values of more than 2000% of normal just before or at the time of clinical relapse and decreasing during convalescence. Most marked increases in LMW-C1q were noted in the three patients in whom C1q concentrations remained normal, whereas increases were less in the three patients who had strongly depressed concentrations of normal C1q. A study of C1q biosynthesis by macrophages cultured from patients with SLE and high serum concentrations of LMW-C1q did not show impaired secretion of normal C1q in favour of LMW-C1q, but indicated that serum concentrations of LMW-C1q may reflect the synthetic rate of C1q in vivo. The results show that increased serum concentrations of LMW-C1q may be helpful in diagnosing SLE and suggest that serial determination of LMW-C1q in serum may have predictive value in monitoring patients with SLE.

Antibodies, Antinuclear↗

Activation of the contact system of coagulation by a monoclonal antibody directed against a neodeterminant in the heavy chain region of human coagulation factor XII (Hageman factor).

We studied the characteristics of two monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), F1 and F3, against human coagulation factor XII (Hageman factor). Experiments with trypsin-digested 125I-factor XII revealed that the epitope for mAb F1 is located in the NH2-terminal Mr 40,100 portion of factor XII, whereas that for mAb F3 resides in the COOH-terminal Mr 30,000 portion of this protein. Factor XII in fresh plasma (single-chain factor XII) bound approximately 190 times less to mAb F1 than factor XII in dextran sulfate-activated plasma (cleaved factor XII). However, no difference in accessibility of the epitope for mAb F1 was observed between cleaved and single-chain factor XII when bound to glass. mAb F3 appeared to bind to both single-chain and cleaved factor XII in plasma as well as when bound to glass. Neither mAb F1, nor F3 affected the amidolytic activity of factor XIIa, whereas both mAb F1 and F3 inhibited factor XII-coagulant activity to about 15 and 70%, respectively, at a molar ratio of mAb to factor XII of 20 to 1. mAb F1, as well as F(ab')2 and F(ab') fragments of this antibody induced activation of the contact system in plasma, as reflected by the generation of factor XIIa. C1 inhibitor and kallikrein. C1 inhibitor complexes. Activation was induced neither upon incubation with mAb F3, nor with that of control mAbs. mAb F1-induced contact activation required the presence of factor XII, prekallikrein, and high molecular weight kininogen and, in contrast to activation by negatively charged surfaces, was not inhibited by the presence of Polybrene. Based on these results we propose that a conformational change in factor XII is a key event in the activation process of this molecule. This conformational change can be induced by binding of factor XII to a surface as well as by proteolytic cleavage. As mAb F1 can also induce this conformational change, this antibody may provide a unique tool in studies of the activation of factor XII.

Animals↗

Biosynthesis of normal and low-molecular-mass complement component C1q by cultured human monocytes and macrophages.

High levels of low-molecular-mass complement component C1q (LMM-C1q), a haemolytically inactive form of C1q, are found in serum of individuals with inherited complete (functional) C1q deficiency and in serum of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus, whereas lower levels are present in normal serum [Hoekzema, Hannema, Swaak, Paardekooper & Hack (1985) J. Immunol. 135, 265-271]. To investigate whether LMM-C1q is a (by-)product of C1q synthesis or the result of degradation of C1q, cultures of blood monocytes and of alveolar macrophages, which secrete functional C1q, were studied. A considerable portion of C1q-like protein secreted by these cells was found to be LMM-C1q. In contrast with the C1q fragments that resulted from degradation of normal C1q during phagocytosis, culture-derived LMM-C1q appeared to be identical with LMM-C1q found in serum, as judged by sedimentation behaviour, subunit structure and recognition by poly- and mono-clonal antibodies raised against C1q. The presence of LMM-C1q in cytoplasmic organelles compatible with the Golgi apparatus and the inability to generate LMM-C1q by impeding hydroxylation and triple-helix formation of C1q further argues against degradation as its source. Monocyte cultures of homozygous probands from two families with complete functional C1q deficiency reflected the abnormalities in serum, i.e. absence of functional C1q, but increased levels of LMM-C1q. By contrast, secretion of C1q and LMM-C1q by cells from healthy individuals was clearly co-ordinate, indicating that LMM-C1q in serum may provide a unique marker of C1q synthesis in vivo.

Cells, Cultured↗

Possible role of free radical altered IgG in the etiopathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis.

Alteration of IgG by oxygen-derived free radicals has been implicated in an in vivo process which renders IgG autoantigenic and leads to the production of rheumatoid factor (RF) and the perpetuation of inflammation, as in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In this study the impact of UV irradiation on IgG was investigated as well as the ability of RF to bind to UV-altered gamma globulin. Inhibition studies of the binding of 125I aggregated human gamma globulin (AHG) to RF-coated sepharose beads show that UV-irradiated IgG is able to bind RF to the same extent as AHG. Binding studies to 125I-C1q proved that UV-irradiated IgG could bind the first complement component, but also that the complement system could be activated as illustrated by the C3a generation. These results support the hypothesis that free radical damage to gamma globulins plays a role in the chronicity of the inflammatory reaction in RA.

Arthritis, Rheumatoid↗

Complement activation in amyloid plaques in Alzheimer's dementia.

Amyloid plaques in Alzheimer's dementia contain complement factors C1q, C4 and C3. In the present study we demonstrate complement activation in amyloid plaques using immunoenzymatical techniques and specific antibodies against subunits of individual complement components and activated complement products. Amyloid plaques contain C1q and activated C3 fragments (C3c and C3d, g) but no C1s and C3a. These findings demonstrate that the complement components are not passively bound to the amyloid plaque structures but are the result of an activation process. The role of complement activation in the genesis of senile plaques is discussed.

Aged↗