Manifestation Of Chronic Inflammation Research Articles

Evidence on n-3 Fatty Acids and Oleic Acid Role in Retinal Inflammation and Microvascular Integrity: Insight from a Hyperlipidemic Rat Model.

Loss of retinal function due to manifestation of chronic inflammation and oxidative stress in hyperglycemia is well addressed. However, the effect of hyperlipidemia on retinal inflammation and microvascular integrity, and the modulatory effects of oxidation-stable oleic acid and long-chain n-3 fatty acids have never been addressed. The objective of this investigation was to assess the retinoprotective effect of oxidation stable oleic acid and oxidation-susceptible EPA + DHA on retinal inflammation and microvascular integrity, under hyperlipidemic conditions. Male Wistar rats were fed with control (7.0% lard), high-fat (35.0% lard), high-fat with fish oil (17.5% fish oil + 17.5% lard), high-fat with olive oil (17.5% olive oil + 17.5% lard), and high-fat with fish oil and olive oil (11.66% fish oil + 11.66% of olive oil + 11.66% of lard) diet for 90days. Systemic and retinal inflammation, as measured by eicosanoids and cytokines, retinal expression of NF-kB, capillary degeneration, and pericyte loss, were assessed. Hyperlipidemia significantly (p < 0.05) increased the markers of inflammation (PGE2, LTB4, LTC4, IL-1β, MCP-1, and TNF-α) in serum and retina. Besides, the retinal NF-kB-p65 expression, capillary degeneration, and pericyte loss were significantly (p < 0.05) increased under hyperlipidemic conditions. Dietary incorporation of oleic acid and EPA + DHA significantly (p < 0.05) suppressed hyperlipidemia-induced effects in the retina. In conclusion, hyperlipidemia causes retinal aberrations by compromising the balance in the inflammatory response and microvascular integrity. Dietary incorporation of oleic acid and long-chain n-3 fatty acids prevents hyperlipidemia-induced aberrations in the retina.

Clinical characteristics of pediatric ocular toxocariasis

Objective To describe the clinical manifestations of pediatric ocular toxocariasis. Methods The clinical data of 163 pediatric patients (163 eyes) with ocular toxocariasis from March 2012 to March 2018 at Beijing Tongren Hospital were retrospectively analyzed, with at least a follow-up of 5 months.The mean age of the patients was (7.03±2.54) years old, and 71.8% of the patients were male.The provenances, clinical features, color doppler image (CDI) and ultrasound biomicroscope (UBM) manifestations and treatment of the patients were retrospectively analyzed. Results The patients were mainly from north area of China, 72.4% of the patients came from rural area, and 59.5% had a history of close contact with cats or dogs; 84.8% of the patients had an initial best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) of less than 0.1, 48.5% of the patients had peripheral granuloma formation, most cases presented with manifestations of chronic inflammation, such as lamellar vitreous opacity, tractional retinal detachment and band-shaped degenerations of the cornea.CDI examination demonstrated tractional retinal detachment in 84.4% of the patients and UBM detected that 52.7% of the patients had peripheral vitreoretinal pathologies ranged more than 6 clock-hours.Eighty-four percent of the patients undergone vitrectomy for severe vitreous opacity and/ or tractional detachment. Conclusions Most of the patients are school-age children, with a history of close contact of cats or dogs, and have poor visual acuity and severe clinical manifestations, such as vitreous opacity and/ or tractional detachment which needed vitrectomy.CDI and UBM are helpful in confirming the scope and severity of introcuar pathologies. Key words: Uveitis; Ocular toxoariasis; Children

The Lipid-Modifying Enzyme SMPDL3B Negatively Regulates Innate Immunity.

SummaryLipid metabolism and receptor-mediated signaling are highly intertwined processes that cooperate to fulfill cellular functions and safeguard cellular homeostasis. Activation of Toll-like receptors (TLRs) leads to a complex cellular response, orchestrating a diverse range of inflammatory events that need to be tightly controlled. Here, we identified the GPI-anchored Sphingomyelin Phosphodiesterase, Acid-Like 3B (SMPDL3B) in a mass spectrometry screening campaign for membrane proteins co-purifying with TLRs. Deficiency of Smpdl3b in macrophages enhanced responsiveness to TLR stimulation and profoundly changed the cellular lipid composition and membrane fluidity. Increased cellular responses could be reverted by re-introducing affected ceramides, functionally linking membrane lipid composition and innate immune signaling. Finally, Smpdl3b-deficient mice displayed an intensified inflammatory response in TLR-dependent peritonitis models, establishing its negative regulatory role in vivo. Taken together, our results identify the membrane-modulating enzyme SMPDL3B as a negative regulator of TLR signaling that functions at the interface of membrane biology and innate immunity.

The human leukocyte antigen G molecule (HLA-G) expression in patients with nasal polyposis

IntroductionSinonasal polyposis (NP) is a chronic inflammatory pathology of the nasal/paranasal cavities which affects from 1%-4% of the population. Although polyps seem to be a manifestation of chronic inflammation in both allergic and non-allergic subjects, the pathogenesis of nasal polyposis remains unknown. HLA-G molecules are a kind of no classic class I antigen with anti-inflammatory and tolerogenic properties. Little attention has been paid to the role of HLA-G chronic inflammatory disorders. ObjectiveThe aim of this study is to investigate the expression of HLA-G in the NP. Materials and methodsProspective study involving samples of patients presenting with nasal polyposis that were subjected to the immunohistochemistry technique. After a skin prick test, all patients were divided into atopic and nonatopic groups and classified as asthmatic or non-asthmatic. ResultsImmunohistochemical staining demonstrated a higher expression of the HLA-G molecule in samples from nonatopic than in those from atopic patients, and was significantly lower in the non-asthmatic patients. ConclusionThese results indicate that HLA-G may play an important role in the pathology of nasal polyposis. Considering the anti-inflammatory properties of HLA-G, this study suggests that it could reduce susceptibility to atopy and asthma.

Genetic Polymorphism of Toll-like Receptor 4 — Predictor of Susceptibility to Recurrent Course of Chronic Pyelonephritis in Children

Objective of investigation: to study the role of Toll-like receptor 4 Asp299Gly gene polymorphism in the implementation of susceptibility to chronic pyelonephritis, to analyze its association with the major manifestations of the disease and to assess the impact on the synthesis of interleukin-6 in the blood of sick children.Methods. We examined a group of children aged 1–15 years with chronic pyelonephritis in the active stage (n = 60). Control group consisted of 95 apparently healthy people. Results. There were revealed significantly higher prevalence of Toll-like receptor 4 Asp299Gly gene polymorphism among children with chronic pyelonephritis (n = 60), identified a statistically significant correlation of mutant genotypes Asp299Gly, Gly299Gly with manifestation of the disease before the age of 3, and frequent episodes of acute respiratory viral infections, torpid urinary syndrome, unstable remission and increased secretion of interleukin-6 (p &lt; 0.001). Thus, genetically determined Toll-like receptor 4 Asp299Gly gene polymorphism is a marker of high risk of early manifestation of chronic inflammation in the kidney interstitium and prolonged recurrent clinical course of the disease in children.

Chemokines and common variable immunodeficiency; possible contribution of CCL19, CCL21 and CCR7 to immune dysregulation

Common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) is a heterogeneous syndrome characterized by defective immunoglobulin production and high frequency of bacterial infections, autoimmunity and manifestations of chronic inflammation. The homeostatic chemokines CCL19 and CCL21 and their receptor CCR7 are associated with modulation of inflammatory responses. CVID patients have decreased proportions of CCR7(+) T cells in peripheral blood and we hypothesized a further dysregulation of CCL19/CCL21/CCR7 in CVID. Serum levels of CCL19 and CCL21 were compared in CVID patients and controls. T cell expression of CCR7 was related to clinical characteristics in CVID patients. Spleens extirpated from CVID patients were analysed for expression of CCL19, CCL21 and CCR7. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from CVID patients and controls were analysed for cytokine response on stimulation with CCL19 and CCL21. The main findings were: (i) CVID patients have raised serum levels of CCL19 and CCL21 independently of features of chronic inflammation; (ii) CCL19 and CCR7 have similar expression in spleens from CVID patients and controls, while CCL21 is variably down-regulated in spleens from patients; (iii) T cell expression of CCR7 is particularly low in patients characterized by chronic inflammation in vivo; and (iv) PBMC from CVID patients had attenuated cytokine response to stimulation with CCL19 and CCL21. CVID patients have raised circulatory levels of CCL19 and CCL21, and an attenuated cytokine response to stimulation with these chemokines. Because CCR7, CCL19 and CCL21 are key mediators balancing immunity and tolerance in the immune system, the abnormalities of these mediators might contribute to the profound immune dysregulation seen in CVID.

Enhanced levels of urokinase plasminogen activator and its soluble receptor in common variable immunodeficiency

Common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) is a heterogeneous syndrome characterized by defective immunoglobulin production and high frequency of bacterial infections, autoimmunity and manifestations of chronic inflammation. The urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA), its cell bound and soluble receptor (uPAR, suPAR) have complex biological functions involving innate immune defense mechanisms and regulation of inflammation. Based on this dual role, we hypothesized that the uPA system could be affected in CVID, and examined expression of components of the uPA system in subgroups of CVID. All CVID-patients had increased plasma levels of suPAR with particularly high levels in those with splenomegaly and thrombocytopenia. Plasma uPA levels were also raised in these patients, and both suPAR and uPA levels correlated with the monocyte activation marker neopterin. Monocytes from CVID patients had increased expression of uPAR. We show an increased activation of the uPA system possibly contributing to the inflammatory phenotype seen in subgroups of CVID patients.

Chemokines and common variable immunodeficiency; possible contribution of the fractalkine system (CX3CL1/CX3CR1) to chronic inflammation

Common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) is a heterogeneous syndrome characterized by defective immunoglobulin production and high frequency of bacterial infections, autoimmunity and manifestations of chronic inflammation. The chemokine Fractalkine (CX3CL1) and its receptor CX3CR1 is suggested to play an important role in the pathogenesis of several inflammatory disorders. We hypothesized that enhanced CX3CL1/CX3CR1 interaction could be involved in the chronic inflammation characterising subgroups of CVID. CVID patients were characterized by raised plasma levels of CX3CLl and enhanced expression of its corresponding receptor CX3CR1 on CD4 + and CD8 + T cells, including both CD45RA + and CD45RA − subsets. CX3CR1 expression was particularly enhanced in patients characterized by chronic inflammation in vivo. The high expression of the receptor in CVID patients was accompanied by enhanced chemotactic, adhesive, and other inflammatory cell responses to stimulation with CX3CL1. Our findings suggest that increased CX3CL1/CX3CR1 interaction could contribute to the inflammatory phenotype seen in subgroups of CVID patients.

Decreased Production of Human Leukocyte Antigen G Molecules in Sinonasal Polyposis

Sinonasal polyposis (SNP) is a chronic inflammatory pathology of nasal and paranasal cavities. Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) G molecules are nonclassic class I antigens with anti-inflammatory and tolerogenic properties. As most theories consider polyps to be the manifestation of chronic inflammation, there could be a possible implication of HLA-G molecules in SNP. The purpose of this study was to investigate the possible correlation between SNP and the production of soluble HLA-G (sHLA-G) by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). The study involved 22 SNP patients (11 with no evidence of disease [NED] after surgery and 11 with relapse [RE]) and 20 healthy subjects. The presence of sHLA-G in PBMC lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated culture supernatants was analyzed. The levels of interleukin (IL) 10, one of the main up-regulators of sHLA-G production, were determined. Exogenous IL-10 was added to the SNP PBMC cultures to reconstitute the impairment in sHLA-G production. Increased IL-10 levels in LPS-activated PBMC culture supernatants were found in NED patients in comparison with healthy subjects (p = 0.0184). No sHLA-G production was observed in either of the patient subgroup supernatants (p < 0.0001). The addition of exogenous IL-10 showed the reconstitution of sHLA-G production in NED and in a lower amount in RE patients. The results show a defect in sHLA-G production in SNP patients mainly related to the IL-10/HLA-G pathway. Given the anti-inflammatory functions of HLA-G molecules, this impairment could increase the susceptibility to the disease. The different sHLA-G production after exogenous IL-10 addition between NED and RE SNP could represent a marker of disease severity.

Atherosclerosis, COPD and chronic inflammation

The prevalence of ischemic heart disease is approximately twofold higher in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) cohorts compared to the general population. Likewise, cardiac patients with COPD have a reduced short- and long-term survival. This co-morbidity of COPD with atherosclerotic vessel disease is associated with common risk factors, such as smoking. However, atherosclerosis, in addition, shares many of the inflammatory mechanisms with those found in COPD. Atherosclerotsic lesions, as well as the COPD lung, are sites of local inflammation. Furthermore, a systemic inflammatory response, measured as increased CRP, has been reported in both patient populations. There are a number of inflammatory mediators produced in both the vessel wall and in the lungs, which potentially induce common pathological processes. For example, leukotriene B 4, which induces chemotaxis of neutrophils, monocytes, T-lymphocytes and smooth muscle cells, has been suggested as a therapeutic target in both diseases. Furthermore, activation of smooth muscle cells may lead to a narrowing of the lumen in both airways and vessels. Finally, proteolytic activities of matrix metalloproteinases may be involved both in emphysema formation and in atherosclerotic plaque rupture, leading to myocardial infarction and stroke. Taken together, the associated co-morbidity of COPD with atherosclerosis and their potential common pathophysiological mechanisms support a notion of these, and other inflammatory diseases, as manifestations of chronic inflammation.

Low numbers of regulatory T cells in common variable immunodeficiency: association with chronic inflammationin vivo

Common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) is a heterogeneous syndrome characterized by defective immunoglobulin production and high frequency of bacterial infections, autoimmunity and manifestations of chronic inflammation. Abnormalities of CD4+CD25high forkhead box P3 (FoxP3)+ regulatory T cells (Treg) have been associated with autoimmune and inflammatory disorders, and we hypothesized that CVID might be characterized by Treg abnormalities. CD3+ cells from patients and controls were analysed for the expression of FoxP3 mRNA by real time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from CVID patients and controls were stained for Treg markers, analysed by flow cytometry and compared to clinical characteristics. The main findings were: (i) CVID patients had significantly decreased expression of FoxP3 mRNA and decreased proportions of CD4+CD25highFoxP3+ cells compared to controls; (ii) CVID patients with splenomegaly had even lower proportions of Treg compared to other patients and controls; (iii) serum levels of the inflammatory marker neopterin were correlated negatively with the proportions of Treg within the CVID population, while there was no significant association with bronchiectasis. We have demonstrated decreased proportions of Treg in CVID patients, particularly in those with signs of chronic inflammation. Decreased proportions of TReg are suggested to be pathogenetically important in autoimmunity, and our results suggest that TReg may have a similar role in CVID.

Gene therapy works in animal models of rheumatoid arthritis so what!

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic disease with polyarticular manifestation of chronic inflammation in the knees and small joints of hand and feet. The current systemic anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha therapies with biologics ameliorate disease in 60% to 70% of RA patients. However, biologics must be given systemically in relatively high dosages to achieve constant therapeutic levels in the joints, and side effects have been reported. To this end, local gene delivery can provide an alternative approach to achieve high, long-term expression of biologics, optimizing the therapeutic efficacy and minimizing systemic exposure. Evidence from animal models convincingly supports the application of local gene therapy in rheumatoid arthritis, but preclinical studies remain necessary to evaluate the merge of cell-specific targeting, viral vector development, and disease-regulated transgene expression to optimize efficacy and safety.

Improvement of gingival and alveolar bone status in periodontitis-affected hamsters treated with 15-methyl prostaglandin E1.

Exogenous PGE1 at pharmacological doses suppresses acute and chronic inflammation manifestations. As periodontitis possesses features of both acute and chronic inflammation, attenuation of periodontal destruction in hamsters was attempted by using 15-M-PGE1, a stable PGE1 analog. The agent was tested at 2 different doses (100 and 150 micrograms/kg/d) and its effects were matched against disease-free and periodontitis-affected animals. No effect was found with the 100 micrograms regimen. In contrast, in the 150 micrograms group, in the gingiva around the first right mandibular molar the pocket epithelium and infiltrated connective tissue (ICT) areas, the mean vascular lumen, the number of PMNLs adherent to blood vessels and infiltrating the ICT were significantly reduced. The number of osteoclasts was markedly diminished as well, but their intrinsic activity was enhanced. Bone formation was totally inhibited in this treatment group. These results indicated that 15-M-PGE1 effectively improved gingival inflammation mostly by reducing edema and PMNL recruitment and controlled alveolar bone destruction by reducing the osteoclast recruitment. From a therapeutic point of view the complete inhibition of formation seems to contraindicate its use.