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Lee S, Park S, Park J, Lee JY. Implantable polypyrrole bioelectrodes inducing anti-inflammatory macrophage polarization for long-term in vivo signal recording. Acta Biomater 2023; 168:458-469. [PMID: 37414115 DOI: 10.1016/j.actbio.2023.06.042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2023] [Revised: 06/06/2023] [Accepted: 06/27/2023] [Indexed: 07/08/2023]
Abstract
Bioelectrodes are critical components of implantable electronic devices that enable precise electrical signal transmission in close contact with living tissues. However, their in vivo performance is often compromised by inflammatory tissue reactions mainly induced by macrophages. Hence, we aimed to develop implantable bioelectrodes with high performance and high biocompatibility by actively modulating the inflammatory response of macrophages. Consequently, we fabricated heparin-doped polypyrrole electrodes (PPy/Hep) and immobilized anti-inflammatory cytokines (interleukin-4 [IL-4]) via non-covalent interactions. IL-4 immobilization did not alter the electrochemical performance of the original PPy/Hep electrodes. In vitro primary macrophage culture revealed that IL-4-immobilized PPy/Hep electrodes induced anti-inflammatory polarization of macrophages, similar to the soluble IL-4 control. In vivo subcutaneous implantation indicated that IL-4 immobilization on PPy/Hep promoted the anti-inflammatory polarization of host macrophages and significantly mitigated scarring around the implanted electrodes. In addition, high-sensitivity electrocardiogram signals were recorded from the implanted IL-4-immobilized PPy/Hep electrodes and compared to bare gold and PPy/Hep electrodes, which were maintained for up to 15 days post-implantation. This simple and effective surface modification strategy for developing immune-compatible bioelectrodes will facilitate the development of various electronic medical devices that require high sensitivities and long-term stabilities. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: To fabricate highly immunocompatible conductive polymer-based implantable electrodes with high performance and stability in vivo, we introduced the anti-inflammatory activity to PPy/Hep electrodes by immobilizing IL-4 via non-covalent surface modification. IL-4-immobilized PPy/Hep could significantly mitigate inflammatory responses and scarring around implants by skewing macrophages to an anti-inflammatory phenotype. The IL-4-immobilized PPy/Hep electrodes could successfully record in vivo electrocardiogram signals for up to 15 days with no substantial sensitivity loss, retaining their superior sensitivity compared to bare gold and pristine PPy/Hep electrodes. Our simple and effective surface modification strategy for developing immune-compatible bioelectrodes will facilitate the development of various electronic medical devices that require high sensitivities and long-term stabilities, such as neural electrode arrays, biosensors, and cochlear electrodes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanghun Lee
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Gwangju 61005, Republic of Korea
| | - Sehyeon Park
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Gwangju 61005, Republic of Korea
| | - Junggeon Park
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Gwangju 61005, Republic of Korea
| | - Jae Young Lee
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Gwangju 61005, Republic of Korea.
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2
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Hogwood J, Mulloy B, Lever R, Gray E, Page CP. Pharmacology of Heparin and Related Drugs: An Update. Pharmacol Rev 2023; 75:328-379. [PMID: 36792365 DOI: 10.1124/pharmrev.122.000684] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2022] [Revised: 11/04/2022] [Accepted: 11/08/2022] [Indexed: 02/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Heparin has been used extensively as an antithrombotic and anticoagulant for close to 100 years. This anticoagulant activity is attributed mainly to the pentasaccharide sequence, which potentiates the inhibitory action of antithrombin, a major inhibitor of the coagulation cascade. More recently it has been elucidated that heparin exhibits anti-inflammatory effect via interference of the formation of neutrophil extracellular traps and this may also contribute to heparin's antithrombotic activity. This illustrates that heparin interacts with a broad range of biomolecules, exerting both anticoagulant and nonanticoagulant actions. Since our previous review, there has been an increased interest in these nonanticoagulant effects of heparin, with the beneficial role in patients infected with SARS2-coronavirus a highly topical example. This article provides an update on our previous review with more recent developments and observations made for these novel uses of heparin and an overview of the development status of heparin-based drugs. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: This state-of-the-art review covers recent developments in the use of heparin and heparin-like materials as anticoagulant, now including immunothrombosis observations, and as nonanticoagulant including a role in the treatment of SARS-coronavirus and inflammatory conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- John Hogwood
- Sackler Institute of Pulmonary Pharmacology, Institute of Pharmaceutical Science, King's College London, London, United Kingdom (B.M., E.G., C.P.P.); National Institute for Biological Standards and Control, South Mimms, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom (J.H., E.G.) and School of Pharmacy, University College London, London, United Kingdom (R.L.)
| | - Barbara Mulloy
- Sackler Institute of Pulmonary Pharmacology, Institute of Pharmaceutical Science, King's College London, London, United Kingdom (B.M., E.G., C.P.P.); National Institute for Biological Standards and Control, South Mimms, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom (J.H., E.G.) and School of Pharmacy, University College London, London, United Kingdom (R.L.)
| | - Rebeca Lever
- Sackler Institute of Pulmonary Pharmacology, Institute of Pharmaceutical Science, King's College London, London, United Kingdom (B.M., E.G., C.P.P.); National Institute for Biological Standards and Control, South Mimms, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom (J.H., E.G.) and School of Pharmacy, University College London, London, United Kingdom (R.L.)
| | - Elaine Gray
- Sackler Institute of Pulmonary Pharmacology, Institute of Pharmaceutical Science, King's College London, London, United Kingdom (B.M., E.G., C.P.P.); National Institute for Biological Standards and Control, South Mimms, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom (J.H., E.G.) and School of Pharmacy, University College London, London, United Kingdom (R.L.)
| | - Clive P Page
- Sackler Institute of Pulmonary Pharmacology, Institute of Pharmaceutical Science, King's College London, London, United Kingdom (B.M., E.G., C.P.P.); National Institute for Biological Standards and Control, South Mimms, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom (J.H., E.G.) and School of Pharmacy, University College London, London, United Kingdom (R.L.)
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3
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Todosenko N, Yurova K, Khaziakhmatova O, Malashchenko V, Khlusov I, Litvinova L. Heparin and Heparin-Based Drug Delivery Systems: Pleiotropic Molecular Effects at Multiple Drug Resistance of Osteosarcoma and Immune Cells. Pharmaceutics 2022; 14:pharmaceutics14102181. [PMID: 36297616 PMCID: PMC9612132 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics14102181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2022] [Revised: 09/29/2022] [Accepted: 10/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
One of the main problems of modern health care is the growing number of oncological diseases both in the elderly and young population. Inadequately effective chemotherapy, which remains the main method of cancer control, is largely associated with the emergence of multidrug resistance in tumor cells. The search for new solutions to overcome the resistance of malignant cells to pharmacological agents is being actively pursued. Another serious problem is immunosuppression caused both by the tumor cells themselves and by antitumor drugs. Of great interest in this context is heparin, a biomolecule belonging to the class of glycosaminoglycans and possessing a broad spectrum of biological activity, including immunomodulatory and antitumor properties. In the context of the rapid development of the new field of “osteoimmunology,” which focuses on the collaboration of bone and immune cells, heparin and delivery systems based on it may be of intriguing importance for the oncotherapy of malignant bone tumors. Osteosarcoma is a rare but highly aggressive, chemoresistant malignant tumor that affects young adults and is characterized by constant recurrence and metastasis. This review describes the direct and immune-mediated regulatory effects of heparin and drug delivery systems based on it on the molecular mechanisms of (multiple) drug resistance in (onco) pathological conditions of bone tissue, especially osteosarcoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalia Todosenko
- Center for Immunology and Cellular Biotechnology, Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University, 236001 Kaliningrad, Russia
| | - Kristina Yurova
- Center for Immunology and Cellular Biotechnology, Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University, 236001 Kaliningrad, Russia
| | - Olga Khaziakhmatova
- Center for Immunology and Cellular Biotechnology, Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University, 236001 Kaliningrad, Russia
| | - Vladimir Malashchenko
- Center for Immunology and Cellular Biotechnology, Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University, 236001 Kaliningrad, Russia
| | - Igor Khlusov
- Department of Morphology and General Pathology, Siberian State Medical University, 634050 Tomsk, Russia
| | - Larisa Litvinova
- Center for Immunology and Cellular Biotechnology, Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University, 236001 Kaliningrad, Russia
- Correspondence:
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4
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The Choice of Anticoagulant Influences the Characteristics of Bone Marrow Aspirate Concentrate and Mesenchymal Stem Cell Bioactivity In Vitro. Stem Cells Int 2022; 2022:8259888. [PMID: 35910535 PMCID: PMC9337942 DOI: 10.1155/2022/8259888] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2022] [Revised: 07/06/2022] [Accepted: 07/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Bone marrow aspirate concentrate (BMC) is commonly used as a therapeutic agent to resolve orthopedic injuries, using its unique cellularity to reduce inflammation and prime the region for repair. The aspiration of the bone marrow is performed using either sodium citrate (SC) or heparin sodium (HS) as an anticoagulant and processed via centrifugation to concentrate the cellular constituents. To date, the consideration of the impact of the two commonly used anticoagulants on the mesenchymal stem/stromal cell (MSC) population has been overlooked. The current study assesses the differences in the BMCs produced using 15% SC and HS at 1,000 U/mL or 100 U/mL final v./v. as an anticoagulant using in vitro metrics including total nucleated cell counts (TNC) and viability, the ability for mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (MSCs) to establish colony-forming units with fibroblast morphology (CFU-f), and cytokine expression profile of the MSC cultures. Our findings demonstrate that HS-derived BMC cultures result in higher CFU-f formation and CFU-f frequency at both concentrations assessed compared to SC-derived BMC cultures. In addition, there were significant differences in 27% (7 of 26) of the cytokines quantified in HS-derived BMC cultures compared to SC-derived BMC cultures with implications for MSC plasticity and self-renewal.
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5
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Farasati Far B, Bokov D, Widjaja G, Setia Budi H, Kamal Abdelbasset W, Javanshir S, Seif F, Pazoki-Toroudi H, Dey SK. Metronidazole, acyclovir and tetrahydrobiopterin may be promising to treat COVID-19 patients, through interaction with interleukin-12. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2022:1-19. [PMID: 35446232 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2022.2064917] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
COVID-19 patients have shown overexpressed serum levels of several pro-inflammatory cytokines, leading to a high mortality rate due to numerous complications. Also, previous studies demonstrated that the metronidazole (MTZ) administration reduced pro-inflammatory cytokines and improved the treatment outcomes for inflammatory disorders. However, the effect and mechanism of action of MTZ on cytokines have not been studied yet. Thus, the current study aimed to identify anti-cytokine therapeutics for the treatment of COVID-19 patients with cytokine storm. The interaction of MTZ with key cytokines was investigated using molecular docking studies. MTZ-analogues, and its structurally similar FDA-approved drugs were also virtually screened against interleukin-12 (IL-12). Moreover, their mechanism of inhibition regarding IL-12 binding to IL-12 receptor was investigated by measuring the change in volume and area. IL-12-metronidazole complex is found to be more stable than all other cytokines under study. Our study also revealed that the active sites of IL-12 are inhibited from binding to its target, IL-12 receptor, by modifying the position of the methyl and hydroxyl functional groups in MTZ. Three MTZ analogues, metronidazole phosphate, metronidazole benzoate, 1-[1-(2-Hydroxyethyl)-5-nitroimidazol-2-yl]-N-methylmethanimine-oxide, and two FDA-approved drugs acyclovir (ACV), and tetrahydrobiopterin (THB) were also found to prevent binding of IL-12 to IL-12 receptor similar to MTZ by changing the surface and volume of IL-12 upon IL-12-drug/ligand complex formation. According to the RMSD results, after 100 ns MD simulations of human IL-12-MTZ/ACV/THB drug complexes, it was also observed that each complex was swinging within a few Å compared to their corresponding docking poses, indicating that the docking poses were reliable. The current study demonstrates that three FDA-approved drugs, namely, metronidazole, acyclovir and tetrahydrobiopterin, are potential repurposable treatment options for overexpressed serum cytokines found in COVID-19 patients. Similar approach is also useful to develop therapeutics against other human disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bahareh Farasati Far
- Heterocyclic Chemistry Research Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran, Iran
| | - Dmitry Bokov
- Institute of Pharmacy, Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, Russian Federation.,Laboratory of Food Chemistry, Federal Research Center of Nutrition, Biotechnology and Food Safety, Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Gunawan Widjaja
- Faculty of Public Health, Universitas Indonesia, Depok, Indonesia
| | - Hendrik Setia Budi
- Department of Oral Biology, Faculty of Dental Medicine, Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya, Indonesia
| | - Walid Kamal Abdelbasset
- Department of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University, Al Kharj, Saudi Arabia.,Department of Physical Therapy, Kasr Al-Aini Hospital, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt
| | - Shahrzad Javanshir
- Heterocyclic Chemistry Research Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran, Iran
| | - Farhad Seif
- Department of Immunology & Allergy, Academic Center for Education, Culture, and Research, Tehran, Iran
| | - Hamidreza Pazoki-Toroudi
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.,Physiology Research Center, Faculty of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Sanjay Kumar Dey
- Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Center for Biomedical Research, University of Delhi, Delhi, India
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6
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The Antitumor Effect of Heparin is not Mediated by Direct NK Cell Activation. J Clin Med 2020; 9:jcm9082666. [PMID: 32824699 PMCID: PMC7463539 DOI: 10.3390/jcm9082666] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2020] [Revised: 08/07/2020] [Accepted: 08/11/2020] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Natural killer (NK) cells are innate lymphocytes responsible for the elimination of infected or transformed cells. The activation or inhibition of NK cells is determined by the balance of target cell ligand recognition by stimulatory and inhibitory receptors on their surface. Previous reports have suggested that the glycosaminoglycan heparin is a ligand for the natural cytotoxicity receptors NKp30, NKp44 (human), and NKp46 (both human and mouse). However, the effects of heparin on NK cell homeostasis and function remain unclear. Here, we show that heparin does not enhance NK cell proliferation or killing through NK cell activation. Alternatively, in mice models, heparin promoted NK cell survival in vitro and controlled B16-F10 melanoma metastasis development in vivo. In human NK cells, heparin promisingly increased interferon (IFN)-γ production in synergy with IL-12, although the mechanism remains elusive. Our data showed that heparin is not able to increase NK cell cytotoxicity.
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7
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Hachim D, Whittaker TE, Kim H, Stevens MM. Glycosaminoglycan-based biomaterials for growth factor and cytokine delivery: Making the right choices. J Control Release 2019; 313:131-147. [PMID: 31629041 PMCID: PMC6900262 DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2019.10.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2019] [Revised: 09/30/2019] [Accepted: 10/01/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Controlled, localized drug delivery is a long-standing goal of medical research, realization of which could reduce the harmful side-effects of drugs and allow more effective treatment of wounds, cancers, organ damage and other diseases. This is particularly the case for protein "drugs" and other therapeutic biological cargoes, which can be challenging to deliver effectively by conventional systemic administration. However, developing biocompatible materials that can sequester large quantities of protein and release them in a sustained and controlled manner has proven challenging. Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) represent a promising class of bio-derived materials that possess these key properties and can additionally potentially enhance the biological effects of the delivered protein. They are a diverse group of linear polysaccharides with varied functionalities and suitabilities for different cargoes. However, most investigations so far have focused on a relatively small subset of GAGs - particularly heparin, a readily available, promiscuously-binding GAG. There is emerging evidence that for many applications other GAGs are in fact more suitable for regulated and sustained delivery. In this review, we aim to illuminate the beneficial properties of various GAGs with reference to specific protein cargoes, and to provide guidelines for informed choice of GAGs for therapeutic applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Hachim
- Department of Materials, Imperial College London, London, SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom; Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London, SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom; Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Imperial College London, London, SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
| | - Thomas E Whittaker
- Department of Materials, Imperial College London, London, SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom; Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London, SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom; Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Imperial College London, London, SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
| | - Hyemin Kim
- Department of Materials, Imperial College London, London, SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom; Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London, SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom; Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Imperial College London, London, SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
| | - Molly M Stevens
- Department of Materials, Imperial College London, London, SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom; Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London, SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom; Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Imperial College London, London, SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom.
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8
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Luria-Pérez R, Candelaria PV, Daniels-Wells TR, Rodríguez JA, Helguera G, Penichet ML. Amino acid residues involved in the heparin-binding activity of murine IL-12 in the context of an antibody-cytokine fusion protein. Cytokine 2019; 120:220-226. [PMID: 31121497 DOI: 10.1016/j.cyto.2019.04.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2018] [Revised: 03/18/2019] [Accepted: 04/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
An antibody-cytokine fusion protein, composed of the murine single-chain cytokine interleukin-12 (IL-12) genetically fused to a human IgG3 specific for the human tumor-associated antigen HER2/neu maintains antigen binding, cytokine bioactivity, and IL-12 heparin-binding activity. This latter property is responsible for the binding of the cytokine to glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) on the cell surface and the extracellular matrix and has been implicated in modulating IL-12 bioactivity. Previous studies indicate that the p40 subunit of human and murine IL-12 is responsible for the heparin-binding activity of this heterodimeric cytokine. In the present study we used bioinformatic analysis and site-directed mutagenesis to develop a version of the antibody-(IL-12) fusion protein without heparin-binding activity. This was accomplished by replacing the basic arginine (R) and lysine (K) residues in the cluster of amino acids 254-260 (RKKEKMK) of the murine IL-12 p40 subunit by the neutral non-polar amino acid alanine (A), generating an AAAEAMA mutant fusion protein. ELISA and flow cytometry demonstrated that the antibody fusion protein lacks heparin-binding activity but retains antigen binding. A T-cell proliferation assay showed IL-12 bioactivity in this construct. However, the IL-12 bioactivity is decreased compared to its non-mutated counterpart, which is consistent with an ancillary role of the heparin-binding site of IL-12 in modulating its activity. Thus, we have defined a cluster of amino acid residues with a crucial role in the heparin-binding activity of murine IL-12 in the context of an antibody-cytokine fusion protein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosendo Luria-Pérez
- Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Pierre V Candelaria
- Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Tracy R Daniels-Wells
- Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - José A Rodríguez
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA; UCLA-DOE Institute, Los Angeles, CA, USA; The Molecular Biology Institute, UCLA, CA, USA
| | - Gustavo Helguera
- Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA, USA.
| | - Manuel L Penichet
- Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA, USA; Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA; The Molecular Biology Institute, UCLA, CA, USA; Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, UCLA, CA, USA; UCLA AIDS Institute, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
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9
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Nguyen KG, Gillam FB, Hopkins JJ, Jayanthi S, Gundampati RK, Su G, Bear J, Pilkington GR, Jalah R, Felber BK, Liu J, Thallapuranam SK, Zaharoff DA. Molecular mechanisms of heparin-induced modulation of human interleukin 12 bioactivity. J Biol Chem 2019; 294:4412-4424. [PMID: 30670588 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.ra118.006193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2018] [Revised: 01/18/2019] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Human interleukin-12 (hIL-12) is a heparin-binding cytokine whose activity was previously shown to be enhanced by heparin and other sulfated glycosaminoglycans. The current study investigated the mechanisms by which heparin increases hIL-12 activity. Using multiple human cell types, including natural killer cells, an IL-12 indicator cell line, and primary peripheral blood mononuclear and T cells, along with bioactivity, flow cytometry, and isothermal titration calorimetry assays, we found that heparin-dependent modulation of hIL-12 function correlates with several of heparin's biophysical characteristics, including chain length, sulfation level, and concentration. Specifically, only heparin molecules longer than eight saccharide units enhanced hIL-12 activity. Furthermore, heparin molecules with three sulfate groups per disaccharide unit outperformed heparin molecules with one or two sulfate groups per disaccharide unit in terms of enhanced hIL-12 binding and activity. Heparin also significantly reduced the EC50 value of hIL-12 by up to 11.8-fold, depending on the responding cell type. Cytokine-profiling analyses revealed that heparin affected the level, but not the type, of cytokines produced by lymphocytes in response to hIL-12. Interestingly, although murine IL-12 also binds heparin, heparin did not enhance its activity. Using the gathered data, we propose a model of hIL-12 stabilization in which heparin serves as a co-receptor enhancing the interaction between heterodimeric hIL-12 and its receptor subunits. The results of this study provide a foundation for further investigation of heparin's interactions with IL-12 family cytokines and for the use of heparin as an immunomodulatory agent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Khue G Nguyen
- From the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599.,the Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695
| | - Francis B Gillam
- the Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695
| | - Jared J Hopkins
- the Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695
| | - Srinivas Jayanthi
- the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701
| | - Ravi Kumar Gundampati
- the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701
| | - Guowei Su
- the Division of Chemical Biology and Chemistry, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, and
| | - Jenifer Bear
- the Human Retrovirus Pathogenesis Section, Vaccine Branch, NCI-Frederick, National Institutes of Health, Frederick, Maryland 21702
| | - Guy R Pilkington
- the Human Retrovirus Pathogenesis Section, Vaccine Branch, NCI-Frederick, National Institutes of Health, Frederick, Maryland 21702
| | - Rashmi Jalah
- the Human Retrovirus Pathogenesis Section, Vaccine Branch, NCI-Frederick, National Institutes of Health, Frederick, Maryland 21702
| | - Barbara K Felber
- the Human Retrovirus Pathogenesis Section, Vaccine Branch, NCI-Frederick, National Institutes of Health, Frederick, Maryland 21702
| | - Jian Liu
- the Division of Chemical Biology and Chemistry, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, and
| | | | - David A Zaharoff
- From the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, .,the Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695
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