Dynamics of Structural Transformations of BCG Granulomas and Expression of TNF-α and Granulocyte-Macrophage CSF by Macrophages In Vitro

Biologics for Psoriasis During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a new form of acute infectious respiratory syndrome first reported in 2019, has rapidly spread worldwide and has been recognized as a pandemic by the WHO. It raised widespread concern about the treatment of psoriasis in this COVID-19 pandemic era, especially on the biologics use for patients with psoriasis. This review will summarize key information that is currently known about the relationship between psoriasis, biological treatments, and COVID-19, and vaccination-related issues. We also provide references for dermatologists and patients when they need to make clinical decisions. Currently, there is no consensus on whether biological agents increase the risk of coronavirus infection; however, current research shows that biological agents have no adverse effects on the prognosis of patients with COVID-19 with psoriasis. In short, it is not recommended to stop biological treatment in patients with psoriasis to prevent the infection risk, and for those patients who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, the decision to pause biologic therapy should be considered on a case-by-case basis, and individual risk and benefit should be taken into account. Vaccine immunization against SARS-CoV-2 is strictly recommendable in patients with psoriasis without discontinuation of their biologics but evaluating the risk-benefit ratio of maintaining biologics before vaccination is mandatory at the moment.

Location of Pulmonary Mycobacteria Tuberculosis and Effectiveness of Various Dextrazide Compositions in Treatment of Mice with BCG-Induced Granulomatosis

The study examined effectiveness of liposomal form of dextrazide (inhaled or intraperitoneal), free dextrazide (intraperitoneal), and isoniazid (intraperitoneal) in the treatment of BALB/c mice with BCG-induced granulomatosis. The mice were infected with mycobacteria tuberculosis 3 months prior to onset of treatment. The preparations under examinations were administered twice a week over 2 months. The decrease of the number and size of macrophagal granulomas in mice BCG-induced granulomatosis during treatment was determined by the number of living mycobacteria tuberculosis in these granulomas. The most effective treatment was achieved with liposomal form of dextrazide (a conjugate of oxidized dextran with isonicotinic acid hydrazide). Macrophages with captured mycobacteria tuberculosis, dextrazide, and dextrazide-loaded liposomes can be incorporated into granulomas. The antimycobacterial effect of dextrazide is an important factor preventing the destructive processes in granulomas and organs via a decrease in the prodestructive potential of lysosomes in macrophages realized after their migration from granulomas.

Expression of Pro- and Antiapoptotic Factors in Multinuclear Macrophages of BCG-Infected Mice In Vitro

Intraperitoneal infection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis from BCG vaccine to male BALB/c mice provoked the formation of multinuclear macrophages in the peritoneal transudate. In 2 and 3 months after infection, their number increased respectively by 34.4 and 66.7% in comparison with intact mice. At all postinfection terms, far greater amounts of caspase 3, p53, Bad, and TNFα were expressed by multinuclear macrophages than by the mononuclear ones. At these terms, the content of Bcl-2-expressing macrophages with different numbers of nuclei was pronouncedly high; of them, the number of multinuclear macrophages was maximum. In 3 months after infection, the number of macrophages expressing Bcl-2 significantly decreased irrespective of the number of their nuclei. At this term, the number of macrophages expressing caspase 3, and TNFα also decreased. In parallel, the number of macrophages expressing p53 and Bad somewhat increased. These data attest to potentiality ("readiness") of macrophages infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis to apoptotic self-elimination.

In vitro Study of BCG Granuloma Macrophage Morphofunctional Status

We studied the morphofunctional and cytophysiological status of macrophages emigrating from BCG granulomas forming in spleen and free splenic macrophages that are not associated with granulomas. The experimental BCG granulomatosis was induced by intravenous injection of male BALB/c mice with BCG vaccine mycobacteria. The number of granulomas in spleen, their diameter, the proportion of granuloma macrophages with mycobacteria, the number of mycobacteria in granuloma macrophages, the proportion of live bacteria in granuloma macrophages and the number of granulomas macrophages capable of expressing IL-1α, TNF-α, GM-CSF were evaluated. BCG granulomas were explanted in cultures in vitro. Fractions, containing free splenic macrophages from BCG-infected animals, were explanted in separate cultures in vitro. The phagocytic activity of macrophages that migrated from BCG granulomas explanted in cultures one month after mycobacterial infection of mice, was much higher than those of splenic macrophages of intact mice. The phagocytic activity of free macrophages and macrophages from granulomas decreased with time after infection. By contrast, the antimycobacterial activity of free splenic macrophages and macrophages from BCG granulomas increased with time after infection. The correlational analysis showed that there are different correlational relationships between the number of granuloma macrophages expressing IL-1α, TNF-α, GM-CSF and phagocytic activity of macrophages from BCG granulomas. The results of the study are important for understanding the molecular and cellularmechanisms of development of chronic granulomatous inflammation induced by mycobacterial infection.