Inflammatory Response In Lung Tissue Research Articles

High frequency oscillatory ventilation suppresses inflammatory response in lung tissue and microdissected alveolar macrophages in surfactant depleted piglets.

The impact of high frequency oscillatory ventilation (HFOV) compared with intermittent mandatory ventilation (IMV) on oxygenation and pulmonary inflammatory response was studied in a surfactant depleted piglet model. After establishment of lung injury by bronchoalveolar lavage, piglets either received HFOV (n =5) or IMV (control; n = 5) for eight hours. PaO(2) was higher and mean pulmonary arterial pressure (MPAP) was lower with HFOV (HFOV versus control, mean +/- SEM; endpoint PaO(2): 252 +/- 73 versus 68 +/- 8.4 mm Hg; p < 0.001; MPAP: 22 +/- 2.3 versus 34 +/- 2.5 mm Hg; p < 0.01). mRNA expression of interleukin (IL)-1 beta, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, TGF-beta 1, Endothelin-1, and adhesion molecules (E-selectin, P-selectin, ICAM-1) in lung tissue was quantified by real time PCR normalized to beta-actin and hypoxanthine-guanine-phosphoribosyl-transferase (HPRT). mRNA expression of all cytokines and adhesion molecules/HPRT was higher in controls (e.g.: HFOV versus control, mean +/- SEM; IL-1 beta/HPRT: 1.6 +/- 0.3 versus 23.1 +/- 8.6 relative units (RU), p < 0.001; IL-8/HPRT: 8.5 +/- 2.0 versus 63.5 +/- 15.2 RU, p < 0.001). IL-8/HPRT gene expression was quantified in microdissected single cells. With HFOV, IL-8 gene expression was highly reduced in alveolar macrophages: 10 +/- 3.4 copies IL-8 mRNA/copy HPRT mRNA versus 356 +/- 142; p < 0.05 (bronchiolar epithelial cells: 33 +/- 16 versus 208 +/- 108; alveolar septum: 2.1 +/- 1.3 versus 26 +/- 11; bronchiolar smooth muscle cells: 1.3 +/- 0.3 versus 2.8 +/- 1.0; vascular smooth muscle cells: 0.7 +/- 0.3 versus 1.1 +/- 0.4). In conclusion, HFOV improved oxygenation, reduced pulmonary arterial pressure and attenuated pulmonary inflammatory response.

Cytokine gene expression in immune mice reinfected with Mycoplasma pneumoniae: The role of T cell subsets in aggravating the inflammatory response

Cytokine gene expression was examined by qualitative and semi quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in the lungs of Mycoplasma pneumoniae infected immune C57BL/6 mice depleted of either CD4+, CD8+ or both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. Immediately after M. pneumoniae reinfection of control immune mice, mRNAs for TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-1(3, IL-6, IL-2 and IL-2 receptor were promptly detected in the lungs. In animals depleted of CD4+ T cells, mRNA expression for IL-2, IL-2 receptor and IFN-γ were completely abrogated and mRNA expression for TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 were reduced by 10- to 100-fold. In mice depleted of CD8+ T cells, mRNA expression for IL-2 and the IL-2 receptor was also undetectable, while mRNA for TNF-α, IL-1 (3 and IL-6 were only marginally decreased. Histological evaluation of the infected lungs performed in parallel revealed dense mononuclear inf iltrations around small bronchi and small blood vessels in control reinfected mice. In contrast, in CD4+ T cell-depleted mice, these focal accumulation of lung tissue infiltrating cells were found to be greatly reduced. The data indicate that the inflammatory response in lung tissue thought to be mainly responsible for Mycoplasma pneumoniae disease is associated with an increased level and a prolonged expression of proinflammatory cytokines due to CD4+ lung infiltrating T cells.

Pulmonary Arteriole Hypertrophy in Broilers with Pulmonary Hypertension Syndrome (Ascites)

Two experiments were conducted to determine the effect of low ventilation or cool temperature environments on pulmonary arteriole hypertrophy. Male broilers were maintained under control or low ventilation conditions in Experiment 1, whereas male broiler breeder by-product chicks were exposed to cool temperature conditions in Experiment 2. Birds were randomly selected for histological evaluation of lung tissue in both experiments. In Experiment 1, birds that had pulmonary hypertension syndrome (PHS+) exhibited a greater degree of inflammation of lung tissue at 5 and 7 wk of age than controls or birds that did not have PHS (PHS-). These PHS+ birds also had higher numbers of cartilaginous osseous nodules at 3 and 7 wk of age than controls. Morphometric analyses revealed that PHS+ birds in Experiment 1 had a thicker medial layer associated with 100 to 200 μm diameter pulmonary arterioles at 7 wk of age, and 50 to 100 μ m arterioles at 3 and 7 wk of age than PHS- or control birds. In Experiment 2, PHS+ birds exhibited a thicker medial layer in pulmonary arterioles at 7 wk of age than did PHS- birds, but there were no differences in medial layer thickness at 5 wk of age nor were there differences in the degree of inflammation or amount of osseous nodule formation between PHS+ and PHS-birds at 5 and 7 wk of age. Thus, pulmonary arteriole hypertrophy was observed in birds having PHS in response to both low ventilation and cool temperature environments and this hypertrophy occurred with or without a coincident inflammatory response in lung tissue.

Lung inflammation: normal host defense or a complication of some diseases?

The inflammatory response in lung tissue is an important part of host defense that aids in removing microorganisms or particles that have reached the distal airways and alveolar surface. It augments the usual function of alveolar macrophages, immunoglobulins, and other defense mechanisms such as mucociliary clearance. However, excessive or poorly regulated inflammation can be destructive of tissue, thus contributing to many disease processes that can lead to fibrosis and impaired gas exchange. Several examples of diseases that feature inflammation as part of their pathophysiology have been selected for this review; i.e. asthma (especially examining the late-phase reaction that involves PMNs), chronic bronchitis (in which irritants and bacterial products may stimulate mucus secretion and inflammatory cells), interstitial lung diseases (IPF may disclose PMNs but sarcoidosis and hypersensitivity pneumonitis feature collections of activated lymphocytes), and acute lung injury leading to adult respiratory distress syndrome (PMNs and their breakdown products and enzymes incite local destruction of alveolar tissue). In preparation for these disease examples, a thorough review of the normal interactions between alveolar macrophages, various opsonins, complement and chemotactic factors, and the responsiveness of PMNs is given first.