Abstract
Abstract Immune activation after tissue injury is required for removal of dead cells and debris to permit subsequent regenerative healing. Natural killer (NK) cells are innate lymphocytes that are essential for immune defense and for regulation of inflammation. NK cells limit fibrosis after cardiac muscle damage, yet the role of these cells during skeletal muscle inflammation is less clear. We hypothesize that NK cells promote acute inflammation after muscle damage but that NK cell responses must be resolved to permit regenerative healing. Following bilateral injection of cardiotoxin into tibialis anterior and gastrocnemius muscles of C57BL/6 mice, NK cell accumulation in injured muscle was detectable within 18 hours and peaked four days post-injury. Selective depletion of NK cells using a titrated dose of anti-NK1.1 antibody prior to cardiotoxin injection resulted in a substantial reduction in the overall infiltration of numerous immune cell types, including T and B cells, into the injured muscle. Thus, NK cells are an important mediator of cellular inflammation following muscle damage. Future studies will determine the mechanism by which NK cells contribute to this inflammatory response and how ablation of NK-cell mediated inflammation impacts healing of damaged muscles. Supported by National Institute of Heath (NIH) (R01-AI148080)
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