Heterogeneity of allergic airway responses in sheep: differences in signal transduction?

Inhibition of allergic airway responses by heparin derived oligosaccharides: identification of a tetrasaccharide sequence

Background

Previous studies showed that heparin's anti-allergic activity is molecular weight dependent and resides in oligosaccharide fractions of <2500 daltons.

Objective

To investigate the structural sequence of heparin's anti-allergic domain, we used nitrous acid depolymerization of porcine heparin to prepare an oligosaccharide, and then fractionated it into disaccharide, tetrasaccharide, hexasaccharide, and octasaccharide fractions. The anti-allergic activity of each oligosaccharide fraction was tested in allergic sheep.

Methods

Allergic sheep without (acute responder) and with late airway responses (LAR; dual responder) were challenged with Ascaris suum antigen with and without inhaled oligosaccharide pretreatment and the effects on specific lung resistance and airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) to carbachol determined. Additional inflammatory cell recruitment studies were performed in immunized ovalbumin-challenged BALB/C mice with and without treatment.

Results

The inhaled tetrasaccharide fraction was the minimal effective chain length to show anti-allergic activity. This fraction showed activity in both groups of sheep; it was also effective in inhibiting LAR and AHR, when administered after the antigen challenge. Tetrasaccharide failed to modify the bronchoconstrictor responses to airway smooth muscle agonists (histamine, carbachol and LTD₄), and had no effect on antigen-induced histamine release in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid in sheep. In mice, inhaled tetrasaccharide also attenuated the ovalbumin-induced peribronchial inflammatory response and eosinophil influx in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. Chemical analysis identified the active structure to be a pentasulfated tetrasaccharide ([IdoU2S (1→4)GlcNS6S (1→4) IdoU2S (1→4) AMan-6S]) which lacked anti-coagulant activity.

Conclusions

These results demonstrate that heparin tetrasaccharide possesses potent anti-allergic and anti-inflammatory properties, and that the domains responsible for anti-allergic and anti-coagulant activity are distinctly different.

Modeling of asthma, COPD and cystic fibrosis in sheep

Sheep naturally allergic to Ascaris suum antigen have been used to study the pathophysiology of asthma and more recently allergic rhinitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and cystic fibrosis. The utility of the model as it relates to the study of these diseases is discussed.

Whole-body periodic acceleration modifies experimental asthma in sheep

RATIONALE

Nitric oxide is released from vascular endothelium in response to increased pulsatile shear stress. Nitric oxide inhibits mast cell activation and is antiinflammatory and therefore might be protective in asthma.

OBJECTIVES

We determined if a noninvasive motion platform that imparts periodic sinusoidal inertial forces to the whole body along the spinal axis (pGz) causing release of endothelial nitric oxide modulates experimental asthma in sheep.

METHODS

Allergic sheep were untreated (control) or were treated with pGz alone or after receiving intravenously the nitric oxide synthase inhibitor N(w)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) before aerosol challenge with Ascaris suum, and the effect on antigen-induced airway responses was determined. Bronchoalveolar lavage cells obtained 6 h after antigen challenge were analyzed for nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) activity in the respective groups.

RESULTS

pGz treatment for 1 h before antigen challenge reduced the early airway response and blocked the late airway response but did not prevent the antigen-induced airway hyperresponsiveness 24 h after challenge. Administration of L-NAME before pGz completely reversed this protection, whereas L-NAME alone did not affect the antigen-induced responses. NF-kappaB activity was 1.9- and 1.8-fold higher in the control and L-NAME + pGz groups, respectively, compared with pGz-treated animals. Extending the pGz treatment to twice daily for 3 d and then 1 h before antigen challenge blocked the early and late airway responses, the 24-h airway hyperresponsiveness, and the airway inflammatory cell response.

CONCLUSION

Whole-body pGz modulates allergen-induced airway responses in allergic sheep.

The effects of heparin and related molecules on vascular permeability and neutrophil accumulation in rabbit skin

Unfractionated heparin (UH) has been shown to possess a wide range of properties which are potentially anti-inflammatory. Many of these studies, including effects of heparin on adhesion of inflammatory cells to endothelium, have been carried out in vitro. In the present study, we have used radioisotopic techniques to study the effect of UH, and related molecules, on in vivo inflammatory responses (plasma exudation (PE) and PMN accumulation) in rabbit skin induced by cationic proteins, mediators and antigen. Intradermal (i.d.) pretreatment with UH dose-dependently inhibited poly-L-lysine (PLL)-induced responses. The same treatment had no effect on antigen (extract of Alternaria tenuis, AT)-, formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (fMLP)- or leukotriene (LT) B(4)-induced responses, although i.d. dextran sulphate (DS) significantly inhibited responses to all of these mediators. High dose (10,000 u kg(-1)) intravenous UH significantly decreased cutaneous responses to fMLP and LTB(4). By comparison, the selectin inhibitor, fucoidin, and DS, were very effective inhibitors of these responses, and of responses to AT and PLL. In contrast to the weak effect in the in vivo studies, UH significantly inhibited in vitro homotypic aggregation of rabbit PMNs, showing that it can modify PMN function. Our data with i.d. UH confirm the important ability of this molecule to interact with and neutralize polycationic peptides in vivo, suggesting that this is a prime role of endogenous heparin. The lack of effect of exogenous heparin on acute inflammatory responses induced by allergen, suggests that cationic proteins are unlikely to be primary mediators of the allergen-induced PE or PMN accumulation.

Inhibition of allergic late airway responses by inhaled heparin-derived oligosaccharides

Inhaled heparin has been shown to inhibit allergic bronchoconstriction in sheep that develop only acute responses to antigen (acute responders) but was ineffective in sheep that develop both acute and late airway responses (LAR) (dual responders). Because the antiallergic activity of heparin is molecular-weight dependent, we hypothesized that heparin-derived oligosaccharides (<2, 500) with potential anti-inflammatory activity may attenuate the LAR in the dual-responder sheep. Specific lung resistance was measured in 24 dual-responder sheep before and serially for 8 h after challenge with Ascaris suum antigen for demonstration of early airway response (EAR) and LAR, without and after treatment with inhaled medium-, low-, and ultralow-molecular-weight (ULMW) heparins and "non-anticoagulant" fractions (NAF) of heparin. Airway responsiveness was estimated before and 24 h postantigen as the cumulative provocating dose of carbachol that increased specific lung resistance by 400%. Only ULMW heparins caused a dose-dependent inhibition of antigen-induced EAR and LAR and postantigen airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR), whereas low- and medium-molecular-weight heparins were ineffective. The effects of ULMW heparin and ULMW NAF-heparin were comparable and inhibited the LAR and AHR even when administered "after" the antigen challenge. The ULMW NAF-heparin failed to inhibit the bronchoconstrictor response to histamine, carbachol, and leukotriene D(4), excluding a direct effect on airway smooth muscle. In six sheep, segmental antigen challenge caused a marked increase in bronchoalveolar lavage histamine, which was not prevented by inhaled ULMW NAF-heparin. The results of this study in the dual-responder sheep demonstrate that 1) the antiallergic activity of inhaled "fractionated" heparins is molecular-weight dependent, 2) only ULMW heparins inhibit the antigen-induced EAR and LAR and postantigen AHR, and 3) the antiallergic activity is mediated by nonanticoagulant fractions and resides in the ULMW chains of <2,500.

Prevention of exercise-induced bronchoconstriction by inhaled low-molecular-weight heparin

Because many biological actions of heparin including the antiallergic activity are molecular weight dependent, we hypothesized that low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) may have greater potency in attenuating exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB). Therefore, in the present investigation we studied the effects of inhaled LMWH, enoxaparin, and unfractionated heparin on EIB in subjects with asthma. Thirteen asthmatic subjects performed a standardized exercise challenge on a treadmill to document the presence of EIB. The workload was increased until 85% of predicted maximal heart rate was achieved, and the exercise was sustained at that workload for 10 min. EIB was assessed by measuring FEV(1) before and immediately after the exercise. On five different experiment days the subjects were pretreated with 4 ml of aerosolized heparin (80,000 units = 7.5 mg/kg), placebo, or 3 different doses of enoxaparin (0.5 mg/kg, 1 mg/kg, 2 mg/kg) in a double-blind, randomized, crossover design, and exercise challenge was performed 45 min later. Bronchial provocation with methacholine was also performed in five subjects on two additional days after pretreatment with either placebo or inhaled enoxaparin (2 mg/kg), and venous blood was obtained for analysis of plasma antifactor Xa. Postexercise, the maximal decreases in FEV(1) (mean +/- SE) were 30 +/- 4% and 29 +/- 5% on control and placebo days. The exercise-induced decreases in FEV(1) were inhibited by 31% with heparin (DeltaFEV(1) = 20 +/- 4%); and by 28%, 38%, and 48% by enoxaparin at doses of 0.5 mg/kg (DeltaFEV(1) = 21 +/- 5%), 1 mg/kg (DeltaFEV(1) = 18 +/- 5%), and 2 mg/kg (DeltaFEV(1) = 15 +/- 3%), respectively (p < 0.05). The inhibitory effect of 0.5 mg/kg dose of enoxaparin was comparable to heparin (7.5 mg/kg), whereas 2 mg/ kg dose of enoxaparin was the most potent. Inhaled enoxaparin failed to modify the bronchoconstrictor response to methacholine, and did not change the plasma antifactor Xa activity. These data demonstrate that inhaled enoxaparin prevents EIB in a dose-dependent manner; and its antiasthmatic activity is independent of its effect on plasma antifactor Xa activity.

Molecular-weight-dependent effects of nonanticoagulant heparins on allergic airway responses

We have hypothesized that antiallergic activity of inhaled heparin is molecular weight dependent and mediated by "nonanticoagulant fractions" (NAF-heparin). Therefore, we studied comparative effects of high-, medium-, and ultralow-molecular-weight (HMW, MMW, and ULMW, respectively) NAF-heparins on acute bronchoconstrictor response (ABR) and airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) in allergic sheep. Specific lung resistance was measured in 23 allergic sheep, before and immediately after challenge with Ascaris suum antigen, without and after pretreatment with inhaled NAF-heparins. Airway responsiveness was estimated before and 2 h postantigen as the cumulative provocating dose of carbachol in breath units, which increased specific lung resistance by 400%. NAF-heparins attenuated ABR and AHR in a molecular-weight-dependent fashion. HMW NAF-heparin (n = 8) was the least effective agent: it attenuated ABR [inhibitory dose causing 50% protection (ID50) = 4 mg/kg] but had no effect on AHR. MMW NAF-heparin (n = 8) showed intermediate efficacy (ABR ID50 = 0.8 mg/kg, AHR ID50 = 1.4 mg/kg), whereas ULMW NAF-heparin (n = 7) was the most effective agent (ABR ID50 = 0.4 mg/kg, AHR ID50 = 0.2 mg/kg). ULMW NAF-heparin was 3.5 times more potent in attenuating antigen-induced AHR when administered "after" antigen challenge and failed to inhibit the bronchoconstrictor response to carbachol and histamine. In 15 additional sheep, segmental antigen challenge caused a marked increase in histamine in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid that was not prevented by any of the inhaled NAF-heparins. These data indicate that antiallergic activity of inhaled heparin is independent of its anticoagulant action and resides in the <2,500 ULMW chains. The antiallergic activity of NAF-heparins is mediated by an unknown biological action and may have therapeutic potential.

Inhibition of antigen-induced airway hyperresponsiveness by ultralow molecular-weight heparin

Unfractionated heparin (UF-heparin) has been shown to prevent antigen-induced airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR), but it is ineffective when administered after the antigen challenge. We hypothesized that the failure of UF-heparin to modify postantigen AHR might depend on molecular weight. We therefore studied the effects of UF-heparin and three low-molecular-weight heparin fractions (medium-molecular-weight heparin [MMWH]; low-molecular-weight heparin [LMWH]; and ultralow-molecular-weight heparin [ULMWH]) on antigen-induced AHR and histamine release in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). Specific lung resistance (SRL) was measured in 20 allergic sheep before, immediately after, and up to 2 h after challenge with Ascaris suum antigen. Airway responsiveness was expressed as the cumulative provocative dose of carbachol, in breath units, that increased SRL by 400% (PD400). PD400 was determined before and 2 h after antigen, both without and after treatment with aerosolized UF-heparin (1,000 U/kg) and various heparin fractions (0.04 mg/kg to 5 mg/kg) administered after the antigen challenge. Inhaled UF-heparin (n = 4), MMWH (n = 4), and LMWH (n = 6) failed to modify postantigen AHR when administered after the challenge. Only ULMWH (n = 6) inhibited postantigen AHR in a dose-dependent manner (percent protection ranged from 31% to 139%). In eight additional sheep, histamine in BALF was measured with a radioimmunoassay (RIA) before and after the segmental antigen challenge, without and after pretreatment with inhaled UF-heparin, LMWH, or ULMWH. Inhaled UF-heparin and LMWH inhibited antigen-induced histamine release as measured in BALF by 81% and 75%, respectively; whereas ULMWH was ineffective in this respect. We conclude that: (1) modification of antigen-induced AHR by fractionated heparins is molecular-weight dependent; and (2) only ULMWH attenuates AHR when administered after antigen challenge, via an unknown mast-cell-independent action.

Inhibition of allergic airway responses by inhaled low-molecular-weight heparins: molecular-weight dependence

Inhaled heparin prevents antigen-induced bronchoconstriction and inhibits anti-immunoglobulin E-mediated mast cell degranulation. We hypothesized that the antiallergic action of heparin may be molecular weight dependent. Therefore, we studied the effects of three different low-molecular-weight fractions of heparin [medium-, low-, and ultralow-molecular-weight heparin (MMWH, LMWH, ULMWH, respectively)] on the antigen-induced acute bronchoconstrictor response (ABR) and airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) in allergic sheep. Specific lung resistance was measured in 22 sheep before and after airway challenge with Ascaris suum antigen, without and after pretreatment with inhaled fractionated heparins at doses of 0.31-5.0 mg/kg. Airway responsiveness was estimated before and 2 h postantigen as the cumulative provocating dose of carbachol in breath units that increased specific lung resistance by 400%. All fractionated heparins caused a dose-dependent inhibition of ABR and AHR. ULMWH was the most effective fraction, with the inhibitory dose causing 50% protection (ID50) against ABR of 0.5 mg/kg, whereas ID50 values of LMWH and MMWH were 1.25 and 1.8 mg/kg, respectively. ULMWH was also the most effective fraction in attenuating AHR; the ID50 values for ULMWH, LMWH, and MMWH were 0.5, 2.5, and 4.7 mg/kg, respectively. These data suggest that 1) fractionated low-molecular-weight heparins attenuate antigen-induced ABR and AHR; 2) there is an inverse relationship between the antiallergic activity of heparin fractions and molecular weight; and 3) ULMWH is the most effective fraction preventing allergic bronchoconstriction and airway hyperresponsiveness.