Protection against endotoxin-induced mortality in mice treated with transition metal salts

Inhibition of lipopolysaccharide activation of Kupffer cells by transition metals

BACKGROUND

Bacterial endotoxins are the principal agents causing sepsis and septic shock. Cytokine cascades produced by cellular interactions to endotoxins can cause cardiovascular failure followed by multi-organ failure and death. Endotoxin intravenously administered to mice can have fatal consequences. Previous studies have shown that the transition metals Mn2+ and Cr3+ can be protective.

METHODS

The effects of Mn2+, Cr3+, Zn2+, and Cu2+ on lipopolysaccharide (LPS) binding to rat Kupffer cell extracts were analyzed using dot-blots, sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and Western transfer. Kupffer cells were isolated from rat livers by collagenase perfusion, differential centrifugation, and adhesion to plastic.

RESULTS

Five millimolar of Mn2+, Zn2+, Cr3+, and Cu2+ completely inhibited LPS binding. Isolated Kupffer cells were also exposed to Mn2+ and to LPS and tumor necrosis factor-alpha release measured. The presence of Mn2+ significantly (P < 0.05) reduced tumor necrosis factor-alpha production by Kupffer cells in response to LPS. Experiments to determine if these effects were mediated by binding to LPS-binding proteins showed this was not the case. More likely a complex occurs between the metal and LPS. We also showed significantly enhanced uptake of LPS into Kupffer cells in the presence of Mn2+.

CONCLUSIONS

The data are consistent with the metals binding to LPS via its two phosphate groups and neutralizing their charge. These data also support the hypothesis that there is enhanced cellular uptake by non-receptor-mediated methods such as absorptive pinocytocis. At the same time receptor binding and activation of the cells is inhibited. This can explain the effects of transition metals on LPS toxicity.

In vitro augmentation of natural killer cell activity by manganese chloride

The in vitro cultivation of murine spleen cells with MnCl2 resulted in the enhancement of natural killer (NK) cell activity as measured in a 4-h 51Cr-release assay. Optimal enhancement of NK activity was observed at concentrations of 10-20 micrograms MnCl2/culture (72-144 microM Mn2+). Enhancement of NK activity by MnCl2 was not associated with any changes in the number or viability of cells following culture. The addition of antiasialo GM1 antibody and complement to spleen cell cultures completely abrogated the enhancement of NK activity by MnCl2. The enhancement of NK activity by MnCl2 in vitro was accompanied by interferon induction. The addition of rabbit antimouse interferon to spleen cells cultured with MnCl2 reduced NK activity. NK activity in cultures treated with MnCl2 was also reduced upon removal of plastic adherent cells. However, restoration of enhanced NK activity by addition of adherent cells to nonadherent cells in the presence of MnCl2 was not observed. Similar effects of NK activity were observed with polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid (Poly I X C), a known interferon inducer and NK enhancer. The results demonstrate that murine splenic NK activity is enhanced in vitro by MnCl2 and that this enhancement may be mediated by interferon induction. The results also suggest that in vitro enhancement of NK activity by MnCl2, as with Poly I X C, may require participation of an adherent cell population for NK augmentation.

Manganese chloride enhances natural cell-mediated immune effector cell function: effects on macrophages

A single intramuscular injection of MnC12 in mice caused an increase in macrophage functional activity. Spleen cell antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity against both chicken erythrocytes and P815 tumor cell targets was enhanced 24 h following a single injection of MnC12. Enhanced antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity activity following MnC12 treatment was not associated with a change in spleen cellularities compared with saline-injected mice. Resident peritoneal macrophages from mice injected intramuscularly with MnC12 displayed enhanced phagocytic activity for chicken erythrocytes in the presence or absence of opsonizing antibody. Enhanced cytolytic activity against P815 mastocytoma target cells and enhanced cytostatic activity against MBL-2 lymphoma target cells was also observed for nonelicited resident peritoneal macrophages from mice injected intramuscularly with MnC12. There were no differences in the cellularity or relative number of adherent cells obtained from the peritoneal cavity of saline or MnC12-injected mice. These enhanced macrophage functions were associated with the induction of increased interferon levels in mice injected with MnC12.

Manganese chloride enhances murine cell-mediated cytotoxicity: effects on natural killer cells

Natural killer (NK) cell activity of mice given a single injection of manganese chloride (MnCl2) was significantly enhanced as measured in a 4-hr in vitro 51Cr release assay. Enhanced activity persisted for several days after injection. This cytotoxic activity was associated with nonadherent spleen cells and was completely eliminated by injecting MnCl2-treated mice with anti-asialo GM1 serum. Manganese-enhanced natural cytotoxicity was observed in several mouse strains with differing NK cell reactivity (CBA/J, C57BL/6, A/J, C3H/HeJ, and C57BL/6 beige mice) and with several tumor target cells with differing sensitivity to NK cytolysis (YAC-1, RBL-5, EL-4, and P815). The growth of B16-F10 melanoma lung tumors was inhibited in mice injected with MnCl2 one day before tumor challenge. Manganese chloride enhancement of NK cell activity appeared to be mediated by interferon (IFN). Low levels of IFN were detected in the serum of mice as early as 4 hr after MnCl2 injection. Rabbit anti-mouse IFN alpha, beta but not anti-mouse IFN gamma completely eliminated the MnCl2-enhanced NK cell activity in the spleens of mice. The observed enhancement of NK cell activity by MnCl2 is similar to that reported for more complex molecules that act by inducing IFN production.

Quantitation of metal cations bound to membranes and extracted lipopolysaccharide of Escherichia coli

Inductively coupled plasma emission spectroscopy was used to quantitate the metal cations bound to outer and cytoplasmic membranes and to extracted lipopolysaccharide from several Escherichia coli K12 strains. The outer membrane was found to be enriched in both calcium and magnesium relative to the cytoplasmic membrane. Both membranes contained significant levels of iron, aluminum, and zinc. The multivalent cation content of the lipopolysaccharide resembled that of the intact outer membrane. Lipopolysaccharide extracted from wild-type k12 strains contained higher levels of Mg than Ca regardless of the growth medium, but the medium used for growth did affect the relative amounts of bound Mg as well as the levels of the minor cations iron, aluminum, and zinc. In contrast, lipopolysaccharide isolated from a deep rough mutant strain, D21f2, contained more Ca than Mg. Electrodialysis of lipopolysaccharide from wild-type k12 strains removed 1 mol of Mg per mol of lipopolysaccharide but did not significantly affect the level of other bound metal ions. Dialysis of lipopolysaccharide against sodium (ethylenedinitrilo)tetraacetate removed most of the Mg and Ca, resulting in a sodium salt. The equimolar replacement of divalent cations with sodium in the sodium salt resulted in a net loss of counterion change. The sodium salt was dialyzed against either tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane hydrochloride, CaCl2, MgCl2, or TbCl3, and the resulting lipopolysaccharide salts were analyzed for their ionic composition. It was shown that tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane and Ca can replace some but not all of the Na bound to the sodium salt, but all of the other multivalent cations tested replaced Na, resulting in uniform lipopolysaccharide salts. Lipopolysaccharide isolated from the deep rough mutant strain D21f2 was also converted into a sodium salt. Relative to the wild-type lipopolysaccharide, Na was able to neutralize the anionic charge to a greater extent in the mutant lipopolysaccharide. Our results suggest that the loss of specific groups in the core region of the lipopolysaccharide from the mutant strain results in a more open structure that allows the binding of larger cations and of more monovalent cations.