Granulation in livers of mice infected with Salmonella typhimurium is caused by superoxide released from host phagocytes

Immunosuppressive Mechanisms in Brucellosis in Light of Chronic Bacterial Diseases

Brucellosis is considered one of the major zoonoses worldwide, constituting a critical livestock and human health concern with a huge socio-economic burden. Brucella genus, its etiologic agent, is composed of intracellular bacteria that have evolved a prodigious ability to elude and shape host immunity to establish chronic infection. Brucella’s intracellular lifestyle and pathogen-associated molecular patterns, such as its specific lipopolysaccharide (LPS), are key factors for hiding and hampering recognition by the immune system. Here, we will review the current knowledge of evading and immunosuppressive mechanisms elicited by Brucella species to persist stealthily in their hosts, such as those triggered by their LPS and cyclic β-1,2-d-glucan or involved in neutrophil and monocyte avoidance, antigen presentation impairment, the modulation of T cell responses and immunometabolism. Attractive strategies exploited by other successful chronic pathogenic bacteria, including Mycobacteria, Salmonella, and Chlamydia, will be also discussed, with a special emphasis on the mechanisms operating in brucellosis, such as granuloma formation, pyroptosis, and manipulation of type I and III IFNs, B cells, innate lymphoid cells, and host lipids. A better understanding of these stratagems is essential to fighting bacterial chronic infections and designing innovative treatments and vaccines.

Roles of Toll-Like Receptors in Nitroxidative Stress in Mammals

Free radicals are important antimicrobial effectors that cause damage to DNA, membrane lipids, and proteins. Professional phagocytes produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) that contribute towards the destruction of pathogens. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) play a fundamental role in the innate immune response and respond to conserved microbial products and endogenous molecules resulting from cellular damage to elicit an effective defense against invading pathogens, tissue injury, or cancer. In recent years, several studies have focused on how the TLR-mediated activation of innate immune cells leads to the production of pro-inflammatory factors upon pathogen invasion. Here, we review recent findings that indicate that TLRs trigger a signaling cascade that induces the production of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species.

Are reactive oxygen species always detrimental to pathogens?

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are deadly weapons used by phagocytes and other cell types, such as lung epithelial cells, against pathogens. ROS can kill pathogens directly by causing oxidative damage to biocompounds or indirectly by stimulating pathogen elimination by various nonoxidative mechanisms, including pattern recognition receptors signaling, autophagy, neutrophil extracellular trap formation, and T-lymphocyte responses. Thus, one should expect that the inhibition of ROS production promote infection. Increasing evidences support that in certain particular infections, antioxidants decrease and prooxidants increase pathogen burden. In this study, we review the classic infections that are controlled by ROS and the cases in which ROS appear as promoters of infection, challenging the paradigm. We discuss the possible mechanisms by which ROS could promote particular infections. These mechanisms are still not completely clear but include the metabolic effects of ROS on pathogen physiology, ROS-induced damage to the immune system, and ROS-induced activation of immune defense mechanisms that are subsequently hijacked by particular pathogens to act against more effective microbicidal mechanisms of the immune system. The effective use of antioxidants as therapeutic agents against certain infections is a realistic possibility that is beginning to be applied against viruses.

Phagocytosis and killing of Salmonella by 7-hydroxycoumarin activated macrophages

Coumarin and its derivatives have potent immunomodulatory activities. Here we describe the parameters of the protective effect of 7-hydroxycoumarin (7-OHC) in experimental Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium infection in mice. The protective effect depended on the duration of treatment reaching its maximum after 10 days of pretreatment and lasted for at least 15 days after its end. Electron microscopy studies revealed that 7-OHC induced ultrastructural changes in macrophages consistent with their activation as well as faster destruction of ingested salmonellae. Superoxide and hydrogen peroxide secretion by macrophages was decreased in both healthy and Salmonella-infected 7-OHC treated animals, which is in line with the current view that some coumarins possess antioxidant and radical scavenging activity. Thus, 7-OHC pretreatment also appears beneficial to the host by limiting the harmful tissue damaging and immunosuppressive effects of the oxidative stress during a Salmonella infection but still activates the microbicidal capacity of exposed phagocytes.

Eradication of Salmonella Typhimurium infection in a murine model of typhoid fever with the combination of probiotic Lactobacillus fermentum ME-3 and ofloxacin

Background

The aim of the study was to detect whether in experimental Salmonella enterica Typhimurium infection the probiotic Lactobacillus fermentum ME-3 in combination with fluoroquinolone therapy would eradicate S. Typhimurium, prevent the development of liver and spleen granulomas and improve the indices of oxidative stress in the ileum mucosa.

The selected bacteriological, histological and biochemical methods were applied.

Results

Combined treatment with L. fermentum ME-3 and ofloxacin eradicated Salmonella Typhimurium from blood, ileum and liver, decreased the number of animals with liver and spleen granulomas and reduced the value of lipid peroxides in the ileum mucosa. Higher total counts of intestinal lactobacilli in all experimental groups were associated with the absence of liver granulomas.

Conclusion

The antimicrobial and antioxidative probiotic L. fermentum ME-3 combined with ofloxacin enhances the eradication of experimental S. Typhimurium infection. These observations on probiotic and antimicrobial co-action may serve as basis to develop new strategies for treatment of invasive bacterial infections of the gut.

Role of nitric oxide in host defense in murine salmonellosis as a function of its antibacterial and antiapoptotic activities

Host defense functions of nitric oxide (NO) are known for many bacterial infections. In this study, we investigated the antimicrobial effect of NO in murine salmonellosis by using inducible NO synthase (iNOS)-deficient mice infected with an avirulent or virulent Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium strain. All iNOS-deficient mice died of severe septicemia within 6 days after intraperitoneal injection with an avirulent strain (LT2) to which wild-type mice were highly resistant; 50% lethal doses (LD(50)s) of the LT2 strain for iNOS-deficient and wild-type mice were 30 CFU and 7 x 10(4) CFU, respectively. Lack of NO production in iNOS-deficient mice was verified directly by electron spin resonance spectroscopy. Bacterial yields in liver and blood were much higher in iNOS-deficient mice than in wild-type mice throughout the course of infection. Very small amounts of a virulent strain of serovar Typhimurium (a clinical isolate, strain Gifu 12142; LD(50), 50 CFU) given orally caused severe septicemia in iNOS-deficient animals; wild-type mice tolerated higher doses (LD(50), 6 x 10(2) CFU). Histopathology of livers from infected iNOS-deficient mice revealed extensive damage, such as diffuse hepatocellular apoptosis and increased neutrophil infiltration, but livers from infected wild-type mice showed a limited number of microabscesses, consisting of polymorphonuclear cells and macrophages and low levels of apoptotic change. The LT2 strain was much more susceptible to the bactericidal effect of peroxynitrite than the Gifu strain, suggesting that peroxynitrite resistance may contribute to Salmonella pathogenicity. These results indicate that NO has significant host defense functions in Salmonella infections not only because of its direct antimicrobial effect but also via cytoprotective actions for infected host cells, possibly through its antiapoptotic effect.

Rapid activation of protein tyrosine kinase and phospholipase C-gamma2 and increase in cytosolic free calcium are required by Ehrlichia chaffeensis for internalization and growth in THP-1 cells

Ehrlichia chaffeensis, a bacterium that cannot survive outside the eukaryotic cell, proliferates exclusively in human monocytes and macrophages. In this study, signaling events required for ehrlichial infection of human monocytic cell line THP-1 were characterized. Entry and proliferation of E. chaffeensis in THP-1 cells were significantly blocked by various inhibitors that can regulate calcium signaling, including 8-(diethylamino)octyl-3,4,5-trimethoxybenzoate and 2-aminoethoxydiphenyl borate (intracellular calcium mobilization inhibitors), verapamil and 1-[beta-[3-(4-methoxyphenyl)propyl]-4-methoxyphenethyl]-1H-imidazole (SKF-96365) (calcium channel inhibitors), neomycin and 1-(6-[[17beta-3-methoxyestra-1,3,5(10)-trien-17-yl]amino]hexyl)-1H-pyrrole-2,5-dione (U-73122) (phospholipase C [PLC] inhibitors), monodansylcadaverine (a transglutaminase [TGase] inhibitor), and genistein (a protein tyrosine kinase [PTK] inhibitor). Addition of E. chaffeensis resulted in rapid increases in the level of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP(3)) and the level of cytosolic free calcium ([Ca(2+)](i)) in THP-1 cells, which were prevented by pretreatment of THP-1 cells with inhibitors of TGase, PTK, and PLC. E. chaffeensis induced rapid tyrosine phosphorylation of PLC-gamma2, and the presence of a PLC-gamma2 antisense oligonucleotide in THP-1 cells significantly blocked ehrlichial infection. Furthermore, tyrosine-phosphorylated proteins and PLC-gamma2 were colocalized with ehrlichial inclusions, as determined by double-immunofluorescence labeling. The heat-sensitive component of viable E. chaffeensis cells was essential for these signaling events. E. chaffeensis, therefore, can recruit interacting signal-transducing molecules and induce the following signaling events required for the establishment of infection in host cells: protein cross-linking by TGase, tyrosine phosphorylation, PLC-gamma2 activation, IP(3) production, and an increase in [Ca(2+)](i).

Oxygen-dependent anti-Salmonella activity of macrophages

Numerous observations have established a crucial role for phagocytic cells in host resistance to Salmonella. Activated macrophages rely on a complex array of oxygen-dependent antimicrobial molecules to inhibit or kill intracellular Salmonella. An initial oxidative bactericidal phase, which is dependent on the respiratory burst phagocyte oxidase (phox) is succeeded by a prolonged nitrosative bacteriostatic phase, which is dependent on inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). The sequential contribution of phox and iNOS to anti-Salmonella innate immunity has been demonstrated both in vitro and in vivo. The temporal progression from the predominant production of reactive oxygen species to the production of nitrogen oxides could optimize the initial reduction in microbial burden while minimizing the immunopathological consequences of the host inflammatory response.

Generation of reactive oxygen species and formation and membrane lipid peroxides in cells infected with Chlamydia trachomatis

OBJECTIVES

Chlamydiae are obligate intracellular pathogens that cause many diseases for which the pathogenic mechanisms are largely unknown. Because reactive oxygen species (ROS) have been implicated in pathogenesis of many viral and bacterial infections, the authors assessed the release of ROS in selected host cells (monocytes, Sup-T1 cells, and Hep-2 cells) infected with Chlamydia trachomatis.

METHODS

Infected cell cultures demonstrated a dramatic depletion of uric acid from culture media that was not seen in uninfected cultures. Reactive oxygen species generated in infected cultures were associated with the formation of lipid peroxides in host cell membrane.

RESULTS

There was a significant increase in lipid peroxide levels in infected cells compared to uninfected controls. Ascorbic acid treatment of infected cell cultures reduced the formation of membrane lipid peroxides.

CONCLUSIONS

These results suggest that ROS produced during chlamydial replication cause membrane lipid peroxidation. The role of ROS-induced membrane damage in chlamydial pathogenesis is discussed.

Free radical generation from heterocyclic amines by cytochrome b5 reductase in the presence of NADH

We previously reported findings that NADPH/cytochrome P450 reductase can generate superoxide anion radical (O2*-) from heterocyclic amines (HCA) and from many anticancer agents in vitro. Here we present more evidence in which O2*- is generated when recombinant human cytochrome b5 reductase (rh-Cytb5Rd) was incubated with HCAs such as IQ and MeIQ in the presence of NADH in vitro. This indicates that free radical generation by rh-Cytb5Rd in the presence of HCA may add new insight into the damage of DNA in addition to the previously known mechanism: interaction of activated HCA-intermediates to form DNA adduct.

Nitric oxide and oxygen radicals in infection, inflammation, and cancer

In recent years, accumulated evidence indicates that free radical species and nitric oxide (NO) or its derivatives are the key denominators in carcinogenesis. Our present topics discussed in this article will focus on the biological significance of free radical generation induced by viral and bacterial infections. In influenza virus infection in mice, the level of xanthine oxidase (XO) at the infected sites was elevated to a great extent. The timing of paralleled induction of XO with that of inducible NO synthase (iNOS) indicates efficient simultaneous reaction: NO + O2*- --> ONOO- (peroxynitrite). Peroxynitrite formation was identified by immunostaining of nitrotyrosine at the local site of infected organs. Peroxynitrite exhibits unique chemical reactivities such as protein nitration, DNA-strand breakage, guanine nitration, etc., which may then bring about not only cytotoxic effect but also mutagenesis. Numbers of evidence in vitro and in vivo show that treatment with chemical carcinogens such as carbon tetrachloride and heterocyclic amines also generated superoxide. The chronic inflammatory reactions, e.g., zymosan- and silica-induced granuloma, revealed very similar free radical generation in vivo. In addition, most experimental solid tumors have elevated levels of iNOS in the tumor tissue, and NO thus generated facilitates vascular permeability, which accelerates nutritional supply to the tumor tissue and hence sustains the rapid tumor growth. These circumstantial evidences suggest that inflammatory responses induced by various pathogens would accelerate mutagenesis as well as tissue damage, whereas NO also sustains more effectively solid tumor growth when normal cells are transformed to tumor or carcinoma cells by the host-derived free radical species.

Induction of nitric oxide synthesis and xanthine oxidase and their roles in the antimicrobial mechanism against Salmonella typhimurium infection in mice

The role of superoxide anion (O2-) and nitric oxide (NO) in the host defense mechanism against Salmonella typhimurium (LT-2) was examined by focusing on xanthine oxidase (XO) as an O2(-)-generating system and on inducible NO synthase (iNOS). When ICR mice were infected with a 0.1 50% lethal dose (2 x 10(5) CFU) of S. typhimurium, bacterial growth in the liver reached a peak value 3 days after infection (10(4.32) CFU/g of liver) and decreased thereafter. XO activity in the liver became maximum at 7 days after infection; the value was 34.6 +/- 1.4 mU/g of liver at 7 days (compared with 11.0 +/- 1.3 mU/g of liver before infection). The time profile of NO production in the liver as determined by electron spin resonance spectroscopy was consistent with that of XO activity. Histological examination of infected liver showed the formation of multiple microabscesses with granulomatous lesions consisting of polymorphonuclear cells and mononuclear cells, and iNOS-expressing cells were localized in the confined areas of the microabscesses. When XO inhibitors such as allopurinol and 4-amino-6-hydroxypyrazolo[3,4-d]pyrimidine (AHPP) were administered to the infected mice, the mortality of the mice was significantly increased (10 of 21 and 11 of 20 for the allopurinol- and AHPP-treated groups, respectively, versus 2 of 20 for control mice), and bacterial growth was significantly enhanced. A similar exacerbation of the infection was obtained with N(omega)-monomethyl-L-arginine (L-NMMA) treatment of the mice. Of considerable importance is that granuloma formation in the liver was poorly developed by treatment with either XO inhibitors or L-NMMA. These results suggest that XO and NO play an important role in the antimicrobial mechanism against S. typhimurium in mice.