Elevated plasma lysozyme in Hodgkin's disease. An indicator of increased macrophage activity?

Comparing periodontitis biomarkers in saliva, oral rinse and gingival crevicular fluid: A pilot study

AIM

To explore the feasibility of screening for periodontitis by measuring biomarkers, namely total proteolytic activity (TPA), matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-8, chitinase, lysozyme or their combination, in saliva, oral rinse and gingival crevicular fluid (GCF).

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Subjects were recruited among healthy/gingivitis individuals and untreated periodontitis patients in Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam (ACTA). All participants donated samples of unstimulated whole saliva, oral rinse and GCF. The protein concentrations and MMP-8 levels were determined by ELISA. Enzymatic activities were measured using appropriate fluorogenic substrates.

RESULTS

In oral rinse samples, periodontitis patients (n = 19) exhibited significantly higher concentrations of MMP-8 and TPA than controls (n = 20). MMP-8 in combination with chitinase explained 88% of the variance and assigned a subject to control or periodontitis group, with best accuracy (87.2%) in oral rinse.

CONCLUSIONS

The combination of MMP-8 and chitinase in the current oral rinse procedure has the potential to discriminate periodontitis from periodontal health/gingivitis.

Intracytoplasmic Lysozyme in Malignant Hematologic Disorders: An Immunoperoxidase Study

Intracytoplasmic lysozynie was studied by the peroxidase antiperoxidase (PAP) and protein A-peroxidase methods in 130 cases of various myeloproliferative and lymphoproliferative disorders and 21 lymph nodes and bone marrow metastases from solid primary tumors. This marker, which can be identified in formalin or Zenker-fixed tissues, as well as in peripheral blood and bone marrow smears, proved useful to distinguish malignant myeloid and histiocytic tumors from malignant lymphoid and undifferentiated epithelial metastases. The diagnostic application of these findings are discussed.

LDL-associated apolipoprotein J and lysozyme are associated with atherogenic properties of LDL found in type 2 diabetes and the metabolic syndrome

OBJECTIVES

Exchangeable low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-associated proteins can affect the atherogenic properties of LDL. Our aim was to analyse the protein composition of LDL from individuals with or without type 2 diabetes and the metabolic syndrome (T2DM) in relation to other LDL particle characteristics, to assess whether certain proteins associate more with certain subclasses of LDL typical for T2DM, such as small, apoCIII-rich LDL.

DESIGN

Low-density lipoprotein from two cohorts of 61-year-old men (n = 19 and 64) with or without T2DM was isolated using size-exclusion chromatography or deuterium oxide-based ultracentrifugation. LDL-associated proteins were identified using mass spectrometry and quantified using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis or enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Differently expressed LDL-associated proteins apolipoprotein (apo)J and lysozyme were also measured in serum from a third cohort of women (n = 71) with or without T2DM. Lysozyme binding to advanced glycation end product (AGE)-LDL was examined in vitro.

RESULTS

ApoJ and lysozyme were increased in LDL particles with increased apoCIII content and decreased cholesterol content. When isolated with size-exclusion chromatography, LDL from individuals with T2DM contained more apoJ and lysozyme and less apoA1 than LDL from control individuals. LDL content of apoJ correlated with a smaller LDL particle size. Serum levels of lysozyme, but not apoJ, were increased in individuals with T2DM. In vitro, lysozyme associated more with AGE-LDL than with unmodified LDL.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results indicate that apoJ and lysozyme are increased in LDL with characteristics of small dense LDL in T2DM. Small dense LDL is easily glycated, and the increased affinity of lysozyme for AGE-LDL provides a possible partial explanation for an increase lysozyme in LDL from those with type 2 diabetes.

Blood monocytes and serum and bone marrow lysozyme in sarcoidosis

Serum lysozyme (LZM) concentrations were correlated to the number of neutrophils and monocytes in patients with sarcoidosis and nongranulomatous diseases. In sarcoidosis patients with an increased activity of serum angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE), a positive correlation was noted between LZM and blood monocytes. In sarcoidosis patients with normal ACE activity, as well as in patients with non-granulomatous diseases, a correlation was found between blood neutrophils and LZM, but not between blood monocytes and LZM. LZM was found in bone marrow plasma and in serum in a ratio of 1.5 to 1. Sarcoidosis patients had 30% higher LZM levels than healthy controls. The concentration of LZM in bone marrow plasma did not correlate to detectable granulomas in bone marrow specimens. The positive correlation between blood monocytes and LZM in patients with clinically active sarcoidosis is possibly due to recruitment of bone marrow monocytes for the granuloma formation.

The defensive role of lysozyme in human gingiva in inflammatory periodontal disease

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

The presence of lysozyme in human gingiva has not previously been demonstrated. In this study, we looked for evidence for the potential role of lysozyme as a protector of gingival elastic fibres. The objective of this study was also to determine the ex vivo susceptibility to hydrolysis of gingival elastic fibres from patients with or without periodontal disease by human leukocyte elastase and by human cathepsin G.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Using gingival tissue sections from eight control, 10 gingivitis and 10 periodontitis patients, we evaluated the area fraction occupied by gingival elastic fibres (after selective staining) by the use of automated image analysis. In the ex vivo experiments, serial tissue sections from four control, four gingivitis, four young periodontitis and four aged periodontitis patients were submitted to the action of human leukocyte elastase and cathepsin G, after which enzymatic activities were determined by image analysis. Indirect immunodetection of lysozyme was also done on tissue sections for all patients included in this study.

RESULTS

Large variations of the area fraction occupied by elastic fibres were observed in human gingiva from young and aged patients with and without periodontal disease. In control and gingivitis patients, leukocyte elastase and cathepsin G had high comparable elastin solubilizing activities. With young and aged periodontitis patients, the two serine proteinases had weak elastin solubilizing activities. Lysozyme appeared to be present at the periphery of gingival elastic fibres in periodontitis patients.

CONCLUSION

Lysozyme can be considered an important natural protector of elastic fibres in pathological gingiva.

Monitoring the allergic inflammation

Individual symptoms of allergy such as asthma, dermatitis, rhinitis have many different underlying mechanisms. The detailed characterization of the inflammatory mechanisms underlying symptom development in the individual patient is important in order to optimally control treatment. Measurement of eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) in sputum or blood and eosinophil protein X/eosinophil derived neurotoxin (EPX/EDN) in urine may be used to read the involvement of the eosinophil granulocyte in the process. An important information as eosinophil dominated processes seem to be particularly sensitive to corticosteroid treatment. The possibilities to measure the involvement of other inflammatory cells exist today, but are only used to a small extent. The dream would be that every patient with an inflammatory disease is characterized with respect to the profile of involving cells and mediators. Such information would provide us with a unique understanding of the underlying mechanisms of the development of disease symptoms and the possibilities of treating these.

Serum lysozyme: a potential marker of monocyte/macrophage activity in rheumatoid arthritis

OBJECTIVE

Estimate the contribution of monocytes/macrophages to the disease process in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), by measuring the serum levels of the leucocyte-derived granular proteins: lysozyme, myeloperoxidase (MPO), lactoferrin and human neutrophil lipocalin (HNL).

METHODS

Serum levels of these granular proteins were measured in patients with RA (n=23) and in healthy controls (n=27), and in 10 patients with RA after treatment with low-dose prednisolone. The serum levels of the granular proteins were also measured before and after treatment with metyrapone, a substance that inhibits the synthesis of cortisol in the adrenals.

RESULTS

The serum levels of lysozyme and MPO were elevated in patients with RA, while the concentrations of lactoferrin and HNL were similar in both groups. Prednisolone treatment decreased the serum concentration of lysozyme and MPO. Metyrapone did not influence the level of the granular proteins measured.

CONCLUSIONS

The increased serum levels of lysozyme and MPO, but not of HNL and lactoferrin in RA could indicate a stimulated secretory activity of mononuclear phagocytes. The measurement of serum lysozyme, as an indicator of monocyte/macrophage activity, might be used to study disease activity in RA.

Increased in vivo secretory activity of neutrophil granulocytes in patients with psoriasis and palmoplantar pustulosis

The relationship between psoriasis and palmoplantar pustulosis (PPP) is uncertain, as is the role of the neutrophil granulocyte in these conditions. In a previous comparative study of the rate of polymorphonuclear leucocyte (PMN) phagocytosis of IgG- and IgG-C3b-coated particles, an increased uptake rate was found in both diseases. Further information on the in vivo activity of PMNs in these conditions may be obtainable by determining the level of lactoferrin (LF) in serum from such patients, since LF serves as a specific marker of the turnover and activity of the circulating pool of neutrophils. In this study on 19 patients with psoriasis and 20 patients with PPP, elevated levels of LF were found in both conditions. In contrast, the levels of lysozyme and beta 2-microglobulin, which are markers of monocyte-macrophage and lymphocyte activity, respectively, were normal. This suggests the selective activation of neutrophils in these disorders. LF was significantly correlated (P less than 0.05 and 0.001, respectively) to the rates of phagocytosis of IgG- and IgG-C3b-coated particles, but not to the chemotaxis of isolated PMNs. There was no correlation between the severity of the disease and the levels of serum LF. The data suggest the increased in vivo activity of neutrophils in psoriasis and PPP.

Monocyte-mediated-antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity in malignant lymphoma and solid tumors

Monocyte-mediated-antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (MO-ADCC) was studied in 21 patients with Hodgkin's disease (HD), 15 patients with a long-lasting remission of HD, 11 patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), 11 patients with solid tumors, and 15 normal controls. Lymphocyte ADCC (LY-ADCC) was evaluated in 12 patients with HD and 9 normal controls. Monocytes lymphocytes were isolated with cell-scatter monitored counterflow centrifugation providing high purity and yield. Antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity was evaluated by means of DNA flowcytometry, using antibody-coated chicken erythrocyte targets (CRBC). In comparison with normal controls MO-ADCC was significantly increased in HD (P less than 0.0005), NHL (P less than 0.005), and solid tumors (P less than 0.005). In patients in long-lasting complete remission of HD, MO-ADCC was in the normal range. Lymphocyte-ADCC of 12 patients with HD was similar to that of 9 normal controls. In all experiments LY-ADCC was invariably lower than MO-ADCC of the same donor, indicating the monocyte as the most potent effector cell towards CRBC targets. Results indicate the following: (1) purified cell suspensions of both lymphocytes and monocytes are essential to unravel their role as effector cells; (2) LY-ADCC in HD is similar to normal controls; (3) MO-ADCC enhancement is not uncommon in malignant lymphoma and several solid tumors; (4) normal MO-ADCC in a group of successfully treated patients with HD suggests a disease-related induction of enhanced MO-ADCC.

Serum-levels of lactoferrin, lysozyme and myeloperoxidase in normal, infection-prone and leukemic children

Serum levels of lactoferrin, lysozyme and myeloperoxidase have been established in 31 healthy children. On average, serum lactoferrin was 330 micrograms/1, serum lysozyme 1638 micrograms/1 and serum myeloperoxidase 174 micrograms/1. Serum myeloperoxidase was, on average, significantly higher in children than in adults (p = 0.01), whereas serum lactoferrin and serum lysozyme were equal to those of adults. In a group of infection-prone children (n = 31), both serum lactoferrin and serum myeloperoxidase, but not the serum lysozyme levels, were significantly lower (p less than 0.001 and p = 0.002, respectively) than those of the reference children in spite of normal intracellular contents and even somewhat higher peripheral blood polymorphonuclear counts. Based on the assumption that serum lactoferrin and serum myeloperoxidase reflect turnover and activity of neutrophil granulocytes, the findings could suggest reduction in these respects and could be one contributing factor to the high infection propensity of these children. Serum levels of the three proteins have also been measured in 10 children with suspected or various forms of manifest leukemia. It is suggested that the levels reflect turnover and stage of maturation of the myeloid and monocytic cells and could, therefore, aid in the understanding and diagnosis of these diseases.

Tissue and plasma lysozyme in Hodgkin's disease

Lysozyme positivity in lymph nodes from 33 patients with Hodgkin's disease was examined with an immunoperoxidase technique. Positive reactive histiocytes were found in 18 cases; in 7 cases lysozyme was found also in mononuclear Hodgkin cells and in 3 cases in both reactive histiocytes, mononuclear Hodgkin cells and Reed-Sternberg cells. There was no clear-cut correlation between cellular lysozyme positivity and such feature as histological type, clinical stage and plasma lysozyme. The findings support the theory that the malignant cell in Hodgkin's disease is derived from a lysozyme producing macrophage. The finding that lysozyme positivity was an inconstant feature may reflect both varying functional status of the macrophages and varying differentiation of Hodgkin cells. Increased plasma lysozyme in Hodgkin's disease may stem from both reactive histiocytes, mononuclear Hodgkin cells and Reed-Sternberg cells, but the major part is probably contributed by reactive histiocytes.

Macrophage-histiocyte lysozyme activity in relation to the clinical presentation of Hodgkin's disease. An immunohistochemical study

The clinical presentation of 71 untreated patients with Hodgkin's disease was studied in relation to immunohistochemically demonstrable lysozyme in the lymph node biopsy material. Sixty-one patients (86%) showed a positive staining reaction of varying degree, while ten (14%) showed no demonstrable lysozyme. The clinical features of lysozyme-positive patients differed markedly from those of lysozyme-negative patients. Stain-positive patients were younger (29 vs. 46), were more often in clinical Stage I or II disease (69% vs. 10%, P less than 0.001), and less frequently had constitutional symptoms (34% vs. 70%, P less than 0.02). Moreover, within the stain-positive group, patients who had the most intense staining reaction (mottling pattern) also had the most favorable clinical and histopathologic features at the time of diagnosis. The observations suggest that in Hodgkin's disease the lysozyme secretory activity of macrophage-histiocytes may be an important element of host resistance to neoplasia and that a depression of this secretory activity corresponds with disseminated disease.

Lactoferrin, lysozyme, and beta 2-microglobulin in cerebrospinal fluid. Elevated levels in patients with acute cerebrovascular lesions as indices of inflammation

Serial determinations of beta 2-microglobulin, lactoferrin and lysozyme in CSF were performed in 14 patients with acute cerebrovascular lesions. Marked elevations were noted in patients with cerebral bleeding or hemorrhagic infarction. Patients with infarction without signs of bleeding or with cerebrovascular lesions undetectable by computed tomography also had an increase in these proteins. The increases in CSF of beta 2-microglobulin, lactoferrin and lysozyme could not be explained by a damaged blood-brain barrier but was believed to be a local product of the central nervous system. Peak levels of lactoferrin and lysozyme were noted on day 2-3 after onset of symptoms. Lactoferrin then declined while lysozyme remained elevated for another few days. beta 2-microglobulin gradually increased reaching peak levels on day 4-5 and remained elevated even 2 weeks after the onset of symptoms. We suggest that the increases of lactoferrin, lysozyme and beta 2-microglobulin reflect various inflammatory reactions mediated by granulocytes, macrophages and lymphocytes, respectively.

Occurrence and patterns of muramidase containing cells in Hodgkin's disease, non-Hodgkin's lymphomas, and reactive hyperplasia

The occurrence and pattern of cytoplasmic muramidase containing histiocytes were studied by the unlabeled antibody peroxidase-antiperoxidase method in biopsy material from patients with Hodgkin's disease, non-Hodgkin's lymphomas, and reactive hyperplasia. The majority of lymph nodes from patients with Hodgkin's disease, nodular lymphoma, and reactive hyperplasia gave positive staining reactions when tested in this manner. Differences in the staining pattern were observed for the different conditions studied. In general, stain positive cells occurred in one of the following four patterns: nodular, dispersed, aggregating without background stain, or aggregating with background stain (mottling pattern). The nodular and aggregating without background stain patterns were not specific and were seen in various conditions. The dispersed pattern, however, was observed only in some cases of non-Hodgkin's diffuse lymphomas, suggesting a subgroup of tumors characterized by active participation of reactive histiocytes. The mottling pattern was virtually limited to Hodgkin's disease. Since the mottling pattern appeared to be produced by virtue of a large amount of extracellular muramidase, the elevation of the serum muramidase level in Hodgkin's disease may be related to enzymatically active secretory histiocytes. Moreover, the mottling staining pattern was observed frequently in the lymphocytic predominance and nodular sclerosis type of Hodgkin's disease, but relatively infrequently in the mixed cellularity or lymphocytic depletion types, suggesting that the variation in histiocytic activity may be related to the course of the disease. The decreased staining reaction observed in the latter two categories could not be accounted for by a decrease in the numbers of histiocytic cells in hematoxylin and eosin stained sections, suggesting that release or synthesis may be defective in those unfavorable types of Hodgkin's disease.

Sequential studies on serum-levels of lysozyme, lactoferrin and eosinophil cationic protein in alcoholics after alcohol withdrawal

12 male alcoholics were followed for 16 d after alcohol withdrawal with respect to the number of the different circulating blood cells and to serum levels of leucocyte markers such as beta 2-microglobulin, eosinophil cationic protein (ECP), lactoferrin and lysozyme. The results suggest a direct toxic effect of ethanol on the neutrophil granulocytes as indicated by high S-lactoferrin levels. Relatively low levels of S-lysozyme as compared to S-lactoferrin could suggest a reduced activity of the monocytes/macrophages. The eosinophils and lymphocytes seemed quite unaffected by ethanol. Increased haematopoietic activity after withdrawal was indicated by increasing cell numbers in the peripheral blood and by increasing serum levels of lactoferrin and lysozyme. The increasing monocyte/macrophage activity after withdrawal as suggested by S-lysozyme levels was closely related (P less than 0.001) to the increased thrombopoietic activity as evaluated by peripheral thrombocyte counts. This latter finding could point to a direct relationship between monocyte/macrophage activity and thrombocyte production.