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At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources

Estrogen, a double-edged sword: modulation of TH1- and TH2-mediated inflammations by differential regulation of TH1/TH2 cytokine production.

Estrogen appears to play a central role in the immune response and immune-mediated diseases. Estrogen receptors are expressed in a variety of immunocompetent cells, including CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells and macrophages. Clinical observations indicate that some autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis, frequently remit during pregnancy but exacerbate, or have their onset during the postpartum period. Pharmacological levels of estrogen also appear to ameliorate certain autoimmune diseases. In addition, estrogen is known to suppress certain infectious diseases, as well as T cell-mediated responses toward oxazolone, keyhol lympet hemocyanin, Listeria soluble protein and purified protein derivatives. The immune basis for these phenomena is poorly understood. Based on a distinctive profile of cytokine production, data accumulated thus far have revealed modulatory effects for estrogen on the TH1-type and TH2-type cells, which represent two polarized forms of the effector specific immune response. Recent evidence indicates that estrogens inhibit the production of TH1 proinflammatory cytokines, such as IL-12, TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma, whereas they stimulate the production of TH2 anti-inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-10, IL-4, and TGF-beta. This can explain why estrogen suppresses and potentiates TH1- and TH2-mediated diseases, respectively. We hypothesize that exacerbation or suppression of inflammatory diseases by estrogen is mediated by skewing TH1-type to TH2-type response. This view represents a novel mechanism for the modulatory effect of estrogen on certain inflammatory diseases that can lead to beneficial or detrimental impacts depending on the type of immune involved. Such a concept is valuable when considering the application of combination therapies that include estrogen.

Animals↗

A neuropeptide in immune-mediated inflammation, Y?

Disturbances in crosstalk between the immune system and the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) can contribute to the pathogenesis of Th1-mediated autoimmunity. Recent studies indicate that neuropeptide Y (NPY) has a major role in the regulation of Th1 responses. The precise role of NPY has been an enigma, but a recent study provides a breakthrough, demonstrating that NPY has a bimodal role as a negative regulator of T cells and an activator of antigen-presenting cell function.

Animals↗

Relationship among mediators, inflammation, and volume history with antigen versus hyperpnea challenge in guinea pigs.

Paralyzed mechanically ventilated guinea pigs constricted to a similar degree by either isocapnic hyperpnea or antigen challenge display significantly different lung resistance (RL) volume history responses to a deep breath. We compared bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) mediator profiles, BAL total protein concentrations, and tissue histopathology of antigen-constricted (AC), hyperpnea-constricted (HC), and control guinea pigs to determine whether patterns of volume history near peak constriction could be related to specific patterns of lung mediators, indices of microvascular leakage, or severity of tissue inflammation assessed pathologically. Methacholine constricted (MC) animals served as a second control group for assessing the effects of direct smooth-muscle contraction on indices of inflammation and volume history responses. Our results show that despite similar baseline and postchallenge RL, HC and MC animals displayed significant constriction reversal after a deep lung inflation, whereas AC animals did not. BAL concentrations of prostaglandin D2(PGD2), thromboxane B2 (TxB2), and leukotriene C4/D4/E4 (slow reacting substance of anaphylaxis, SRSA) were significantly elevated in both AC and HC animals compared with control and MC animals, with AC and HC BAL differing only with respect to PGD2 values (AC 2.4-fold higher). BAL total protein in AC animals was significantly greater than in HC, MC, and control animals. Histopathology showed significant peribronchial and interstitial cellular inflammation in AC animal specimens, whereas specimens from HC animals had little or no inflammation. Differences in volume history responses observed between equally constricted AC, HC, and MC animals may be due to differences in airway and/or parenchymal microvascular leak and cellular inflammation.

Airway Obstruction↗

Immune-mediated inflammation directly impairs pulmonary function, contributing to the pathogenesis of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia.

The clinical severity of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) correlates closely with the appearance of pulmonary markers of inflammation. Therefore, a model system was developed whereby physiological studies could be performed on live mice to determine the extent to which pulmonary inflammation contributes to respiratory impairment during PCP. P. carinii-infected severe combined immunodeficient mice displayed little evidence of pulmonary inflammation and exhibited normal oxygenation and dynamic lung compliance. When comparably infected littermates were immunologically reconstituted, however, an intense immune-mediated inflammatory response was observed that resulted in significant decreases in both lung compliance and oxygenation. As the pneumonia resolved pulmonary function returned toward normal. To begin to define the cell populations contributing to inflammation-associated respiratory impairment during PCP, similar studies were performed in CD4(+) T cell-depleted mice. Mice depleted of both CD4(+) and CD8(+) cells developed infection, but they demonstrated neither abnormal lung compliance nor increased respiratory rate and displayed no markers of lung injury. In contrast, mice depleted of only CD4(+) T cells exhibited severe pulmonary inflammation and injury, decreased oxygenation and lung compliance, and increased respirations. Respiratory compromise was associated with the presence of activated CD8(+) cells and neutrophils in broncho-alveolar lavage fluid. These observations provide direct experimental evidence that the host's response to P. carinii directly impairs pulmonary function and contributes to the pathogenesis of PCP. Furthermore, CD8(+) T cells likely contribute to the respiratory compromise observed during PCP.

Animals↗

Septicemia without sepsis: inherited disorders of nuclear factor-kappa B-mediated inflammation.

Septicemia is a life-threatening condition that may lead to sepsis and even septic shock. This cascade is usually accompanied by a pronounced inflammatory response, leading to high body temperature and elevated levels of laboratory markers of inflammation. However, this response can be significantly diminished in children with inherited disorders of nuclear factor (NF)-kappa B-mediated immunity. Three disease-causing genes involved in NF-kappa B activation have been identified: NEMO, IKBA, and IRAK4. Patients with anhidrotic ectodermal dysplasia and immunodeficiency, which is caused by mutations in NEMO and IKBA, have sparse hair, dry skin, and conical teeth and are at increased risk of severe infections caused by pyogenic bacteria and atypical mycobacteria. Patients with interleukin-1 receptor-associated kinase-4 deficiency are at increased risk of invasive disease due to pyogenic bacteria. An underlying defect in NF- kappa B activation should be suspected in children with bacterial septicemia accompanied by mild signs of inflammation.

Ectodermal Dysplasia↗

Inducible nitric oxide synthase in the rat testis: evidence for potential roles in both normal function and inflammation-mediated infertility.

In vitro data have indicated that nitric oxide (NO) inhibits Leydig cell testosterone production, suggesting that NO may play a role in the suppression of steroidogenesis and spermatogenic function during inflammation. Consequently, we investigated expression of the inflammation-inducible isoform of NO synthase (iNOS) in the inflamed adult rat testis and the ability of a broad-spectrum inhibitor of NO production, L-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester, to prevent Leydig cell dysfunction during inflammation. Unexpectedly, immunohistochemical and mRNA data established that iNOS is expressed constitutively in Leydig cells and in a stage-specific manner in Sertoli, peritubular, and spermatogenic cells in the normal testis. Expression was increased in a dose-dependent manner in all these cell types during lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammation. In noninflamed testes, treatment with the NO synthase inhibitor reduced testicular interstitial fluid formation and testosterone production without any effect on serum LH levels. Administration of the inhibitor did not prevent the suppression of testicular interstitial fluid and testosterone production that occurs within 6 h after LPS treatment. Collectively, these data indicate a novel role for iNOS in autocrine or paracrine regulation of the testicular vasculature, Leydig cell steroidogenesis, and spermatogenesis in the normal testis. The data suggest that increased NO is not the major cause of acute Leydig cell dysfunction in the LPS-treated inflammation model, although a role for NO in this process cannot be excluded, particularly at other time points. Moreover, up-regulation of iNOS may contribute to the seminiferous epithelium damage caused by LPS-induced inflammation.

Animals↗

Nitric oxide: a regulator of mast cell activation and mast cell-mediated inflammation.

Nitric oxide (NO) plays diverse roles in physiological and pathological processes. During immune and inflammatory responses, for example in asthma, NO is generated at relatively high and sustained levels by the inducible form of nitric oxide synthase (NOS-2). NOS-2 derived NO regulates the function, growth, death and survival of many immune and inflammatory cell types. In the case of mast cells, NO suppresses antigen-induced degranulation, mediator release, and cytokine expression. The action of NO on mast cells is time dependent, requiring several hours, and noncGMP mediated, most probably involving chemical modification of proteins. NO inhibits a number of mast cell-dependent inflammatory processes in vivo, including histamine mediated vasodilatation, vasopermeation and leucocyte-endothelial cell attachment. In human asthma and animal models of lung inflammation the role of NO is harder to define. However, although there are conflicting data, the balance of evidence favours a predominantly protective role for NO. Mimicking or targeting NO dependent pathways may prove to be a valuable therapeutic approach to mast cell mediated diseases.

Animals↗

The induction of augmented granulocyte adherence by inflammation. Mediation by a plasma factor.

The adherence of granylocytes to surfaces, measured in vitro in nylon fiber columns, is inhibited by in vivo administration of anti-inflammatory agents. Therefore, the effect of inflammation itself was assessed in blood from patients with acute inflammatory diseases. Mean adherence in these patients was twice normal (56.4 +/- 5.6% vs. 29.4 +/- 5.2%); their plasma contained a factor that augmented adherence of normal cells to 47.5 +/- 5.6% whereas the patient's cells showed a normal level of adherence (34.0 +/- 6.8%) when resuspended in normal plasma. Although exudate fluid from exprimental inflammation also contained the augmenting factor, cells from the exudate maintained their high level of adherence after washing and suspension in normal plasma. The augmenting factor detected in plasma from patients with inflammation was not present in serum and was inactivated by heating plasma to 56 degrees C for 30 min; restoration of augmenting activity was accomplished by addition of 20% guinea pig serum to the heat-treated plasma. Because the guinea pig serum itself did not increase adherence when added to normal plasma, it appears that the augmenting factor is heat-stable, but requires a heat-labile cofactor like complement. Sephadex G-200 fractionation of inflammatory plasma showed adherence-augmenting activity in the majority of fractions, with peak activity in the fractions corresponding to approximate molecular wts of 30,000, 160,000 and 400,000.

Adrenal Cortex Hormones↗

Keratinocyte expression of the type 2 interleukin 1 receptor mediates local and specific inhibition of interleukin 1-mediated inflammation.

Epidermal keratinocytes can express two types of interleukin 1 (IL-1) receptors: IL-1R1, which is active in signal transduction, and the less well characterized IL-1R2, which is incapable of transducing a signal and can be shed from cells. The binding of IL-1 in solution by IL-1R2 has been demonstrated, and it has been proposed to inhibit IL-1-mediated responses through this mechanism. We and others have reported that keratinocytes can be induced to express IL-1R2 both in vitro and in vivo, often under conditions that also favor IL-1 gene expression. We hypothesized that production of IL-1R2 by keratinocytes would be an efficient means to achieve local inhibition of IL-1-mediated responses without systemic consequences. To test this hypothesis, we have generated transgenic mice that constitutively express IL-1R2 on basal keratinocytes. Keratinocytes cultured from these animals shed the soluble form of the receptor into culture supernatants, and IL-1-inducible production of granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimulating factor was markedly inhibited. In vivo, acute cutaneous vascular leakage, as well as chronic inflammation induced by a well characterized IL-1-dependent stimulus, was significantly inhibited in IL-1R2 transgenic animals. In contrast, contact hypersensitivity was unaffected, suggesting that overexpression of IL-1R2 did not inhibit all types of inflammation globally. Finally, systemic injection of IL-1 induced equivalent levels of plasma IL-6 in IL-1R2 transgenic and nontransgenic mice, suggesting that the activity of the transgenic IL-1R2 remained predominantly local and did not influence systemic IL-1 responses. We conclude that tissue-specific production of IL-1R2 can mediate IL-1 antagonism in tissue microenvironments without systemic consequences. Our transgenic mice may be a useful tool for determining the degree to which different types of cutaneous inflammation depend on the IL-1 system.

Animals↗

Receptor for advanced glycation end products mediates inflammation and enhanced expression of tissue factor in vasculature of diabetic apolipoprotein E-null mice.

Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) and their cell surface receptor, RAGE, have been implicated in the pathogenesis of diabetic complications. Here, we studied the role of RAGE and expression of its proinflammatory ligands, EN-RAGEs (S100/calgranulins), in inflammatory events mediating cellular activation in diabetic tissue. Apolipoprotein E-null mice were rendered diabetic with streptozotocin at 6 weeks of age. Compared with nondiabetic aortas and kidneys, diabetic aortas and kidneys displayed increased expression of RAGE, EN-RAGEs, and 2 key markers of vascular inflammation, vascular cell adhesion molecule (VCAM)-1 and tissue factor. Administration of soluble RAGE, the extracellular domain of the receptor, or vehicle to diabetic mice for 6 weeks suppressed levels of VCAM-1 and tissue factor in the aorta, in parallel with decreased expression of RAGE and EN-RAGEs. Diabetic kidney demonstrated increased numbers of EN-RAGE-expressing inflammatory cells infiltrating the glomerulus and enhanced mRNA for transforming growth factor-beta, fibronectin, and alpha(1) (IV) collagen. In mice treated with soluble RAGE, the numbers of infiltrating inflammatory cells and mRNA levels for these glomerular cytokines and components of extracellular matrix were decreased. These data suggest that activation of RAGE primes cells targeted for perturbation in diabetic tissues by the induction of proinflammatory mediators.

Animals↗

Phospholipase A2-mediated inflammation induces regression of malignant gliomas.

An ideal form of cancer therapy is the harnessing of innate immunity to eradicate spontaneously arising clones of malignant cells. To date, attempts to develop effective immunotherapies have met with limited success. Prostaglandins and leukotrienes, collectively known as eicosanoids, are important mediators of immune and inflammatory responses. Harnessing these compounds could be a method to treat cancers. Eicosanoids are formed after cleavage of fatty acids from phospholipids by phospholipase enzymes. We have previously described, characterized and cloned a naturally occurring mammalian activator of phospholipase A2. Injection of a 24 amino acid peptide from this phospholipase A2 activating protein (PLAP), resulted in induction of an acute inflammatory response, and a concomitant regression of gliomas in rats. Administration of 500 micrograms of this protein resulted in a 50% decrease of the tumor mass within 72 h. Tumor regression coincided with a greater than twenty-fold increase in levels of prostaglandin E2(PGE2) and leukotriene B4(LTB4), and a marked infiltration of natural killer(NK) cells. These data suggest that activation of phospholipase A2 and modulation of the eicosanoid biosynthetic pathway may provide a novel therapeutic strategy for the successful treatment of malignant tumors of the nervous system.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Atopic phenotype is an important determinant of immunoglobulin E-mediated inflammation and expression of T helper cell type 2 cytokines to ascaris antigens in children exposed to ascariasis.

Studies have shown a strong inverse relationship between atopy and geohelminth infection, indicating that atopy may protect against geohelminth infection. Resistance to ascariasis in atopic individuals may occur through greater immunoglobulin E-mediated responses and expression of T helper cell type 2 (Th2) cytokines to parasite antigens. To investigate the effect that atopy has on the immune response to Ascaris antigens, school-age children were recruited from rural schools in Ecuador. Immunologic variables were compared between children stratified by atopic and/or A. lumbricoides-infection status; the variables included cytokine expression by peripheral-blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and histamine release in response to Ascaris antigens. Atopic children had both greater frequencies of PBMCs expressing interleukin (IL)-4 and IL-5 and enhanced histamine release, compared with those in nonatopic children. Stratification by atopic and A. lumbricoides-infection status revealed the greatest histamine and Th2 cytokine responses in the stratum of atopic, noninfected children. Multivariate regression analyses showed significant effects for atopic status but not for infection status on Th2 cytokine expression and histamine release.

Adolescent↗

[In vitro study of the cytotoxicity of inflammation mediators secreted around microencapsulated cells].

One of the implantation problems in immunoprotected living cells is the appearance of local inflammatory phenomena around microcapsules. Some of the mediators released in such pathophysiological conditions were tested. A toxic action of compounds such as elastase, collagenase was evidenced. Interleukins 1 and 2 revealed no cytotoxicity within the test limits on the experimental cellular model chosen. These results underline the importance of inflammatory mediators released by adjacent cells of the implant.

Animals↗

Prevention of inflammation-mediated acquisition of metastatic properties of benign mouse fibrosarcoma cells by administration of an orally available superoxide dismutase.

Weakly tumorigenic and nonmetastatic QR-32 cells derived from a fibrosarcoma in C57BL6 mouse are converted to malignant cells once they have grown after being coimplanted with a gelatine sponge which induces inflammation. We administered a newly developed peroral superoxide dismutase (SOD), oxykine, and as control vehicle, gliadin and saline, starting 2 days before the coimplantation and continued daily throughout the experiment. In the oxykine group, tumour incidence was lower (41%) than in the gliadin or saline group (83 and 79%, respectively). The inhibitory effect of oxykine was lost when an individual component of oxykine was administered, that is, SOD alone and gliadin alone. The effect was also abolished when administered by intraperitoneal route. When perfused in situ with nitroblue tetrazolium, an indicator of superoxide formation, the tumour masses from gliadin and saline groups displayed intense formazan deposition, whereas, those from oxykine group had less deposition. Enzymatic activity of SOD was also increased in oxykine group. Arising tumour cells in gliadin and saline groups acquired metastatic phenotype, but those in oxykine group showed reduced metastatic ability. These results suggested that the orally active SOD derivative prevented tumour progression promoted by inflammation, which is thought to be through scavenging inflammatory cell-derived superoxide anion.

Administration, Oral↗