RANTES production from mononuclear cells in response to the specific allergen in asthma patients

C-C Chemokine Ligand-5 is critical for facilitating macrophage infiltration in the early phase of liver ischemia/reperfusion injury

CCL5/RANTES, a chemoattractant for myeloid cells, is induced by hepatic ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI). The roles of CCL5 in hepatic IRI were carried out by means of CCL5 immunodepletion, antagonistic competition by Met-CCL5, and treatment with recombinant murine CCL5 (rmCCL5). Depletion or inhibition of CCL5 reduced severity of hepatic IRI, whereas rmCCL5 treatment aggravated liver IRI as manifested in elevated serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and tissue myeloperoxidase (MPO) levels. Moreover, IRI severity was reduced in CCL5-knockout (CCL5-KO) mice versus wildtype (WT) mice, with drops in serum ALT level, intrahepatic MPO activity, and histological pathology. Bone marrow transplantion (BMT) studies show that myeloid cells and tissue cells are both required for CCL5-aggravated hepatic IRI. The profile of liver-infiltrating leukocyte subsets after hepatic reperfusion identified CD11b+ cells as the only compartment significantly reduced in CCL5-KO mice versus WT controls at early reperfusion phase. The role of CCL5 recruiting CD11b+ cells in early reperfusion was validated by in vitro transwell migration assay of murine primary macrophages (broadly characterized by their CD11b expression) in response to liver lysates after early reperfusion. Taken together, our results demonstrate a sequence of early events elicited by CCL5 chemoattracting macrophage that result in inflammatory aggravation of hepatic IRI.

IgE, mast cells, and eosinophils in atopic dermatitis

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease with specific immune and inflammatory mechanisms. Atopy is among the major features of the diagnosis criteria for AD but is not an essential feature. Thus, patients diagnosed with AD can be atopic or non-atopic. This review focuses on the role of IgE, mast cells, and eosinophils in the pathogenesis of AD. The known functions of IgE in allergic inflammation suggest that IgE and IgE-mediated mast cell and eosinophil activation contribute to AD, but direct evidence supporting this is scarce. The level of IgE (thus the degree of allergic sensitization) is associated with severity of AD and contributed by abnormality of skin barrier, a key feature of AD. The function of IgE in development of AD is supported by the beneficial effect of anti-IgE therapy in a number of clinical studies. The role of mast cells in AD is suggested by the increase in the mast cell number and mast cell activation in AD lesions and the association between mast cell activation and AD. It is further suggested by their role in mouse models of AD as well as by the effect of therapeutic agents for AD that can affect mast cells. The role of eosinophils in AD is suggested by the presence of eosinophilia in AD patients and eosinophil infiltrates in AD lesions. It is further supported by information that links AD to cytokines and chemokines associated with production, recruitment, and activation of eosinophils.

Chemokine CC-ligand 5 production and eosinophil activation into the upper airways of aspirin-sensitive patients

BACKGROUND

Airway eosinophilia is a hallmark of aspirin-sensitive asthma/rhinitis.

OBJECTIVE

We have investigated chemokine CC-ligand 5 (CCL5) production and its association with eosinophil activation in the upper airways of aspirin-sensitive patients both in vivo and in vitro.

METHODS

Twenty aspirin-sensitive asthma/rhinosinusitis patients, 18 atopic-tolerant asthma/rhinosinusitis patients and 15 healthy control subjects took part in the study. All subjects were challenged with saline and lysine-acetylsalicylic acid (L-asa) on separate occasions. Nasal lavages were obtained at baseline and 120 min after challenge and analysed for mediators' release.

RESULTS

When compared with control subjects, the baseline levels of CCL5 were significantly increased in both sensitive and tolerant patients (there was no significant difference in CCL5 concentrations between these two groups, P>0.05). However, L-asa nasal challenge induced significantly increased levels of CCL5 in the sensitive patients but not in the tolerant subjects (median: 380 vs. 140 pg/mL, P<0.0001). Similarly, the concentrations of both eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) and cysteinil leukotriene (cys-LTs) were increased significantly in the aspirin-sensitive but not in the tolerant patients. There was a trend towards a significant correlation between CCL5 and ECP concentrations in the sensitive patients following L-ASA challenge. On incubation with aspirin, nasal tissue derived from aspirin-sensitive but not that derived from tolerant subjects released increased CCL5 levels in culture. As determined by immunohistochemistry, CCL5 was predominantly localized to the nasal airway epithelium.

CONCLUSION

Altogether, these findings suggest that CCL5 is released in aspirin-sensitive asthma/rhinosinusitis.

B cells are involved in the modulation of pathogenic gut immune response in food-allergic enteropathy

Food enteropathies involve uncontrolled or hypersensitivity reactions to ingested nutrients and may result in IgE and T-helper type 2 (Th2) responses as in food allergy. However, the precise role of B cells in the development of food enteropathies remains uncertain. In this work, we used B cell-deficient mice (B KO) and a model of peanut sensitization to examine the involvement of B lymphocytes in the pathogenesis of food allergy. Results showed that priming of wild-type (WT) mice with peanut proteins induced specific IgG1 and IgE responses in serum, with edema, tissue destruction, epithelial exulceration and inflammatory infiltrate in the gut of sensitized and challenged (S + Peanut) WT animals. In contrast, there was no sera immunoglobulin detection and absence of tissue destruction in the gut of B KO mice, which presented moderate inflammatory infiltrate and villous enlargement after peanut challenge. These animals presented marked decrease in IL-4 and TNF-alpha and high levels of IL-10, TGF-beta, IL-12p40 and IFN-gamma mRNA in the gut. Moreover, the expression of CCL5, CCL11 and CXCL1 was reduced in the gut of B KO mice, in contrast to elevated messages of CCL2 or similar detection of Th1-related chemokines in S + Peanut WT mice. Finally, we provided evidence that B cells are necessary to the development of food-related enteropathies and induction of gut inflammation during allergic reactions to food.

House dust mite extract induces interleukin-9 expression in human eosinophils

BACKGROUND

Eosinophils play a pivotal role in allergic inflammation. Recent evidence suggests that they not only function as terminal effector cells but have potential to interact with allergen and initiate immune responses. We investigated cytokine production from eosinophils through direct interaction with a major allergen, house dust mite (HDM) .

METHODS

Purified eosinophils from HDM-sensitized or non-sensitized donors were cultured with HDM extract or lipopolysaccharide (LPS) for 18 or 40 h. A panel of cytokine gene expression in eosinophils was examined by means of real-time RT-PCR. Released cytokines in the culture supernatants were assessed with a specific ELISA. In some experiments, HDM was pretreated with protease inhibitors, then added to the culture. Cytokines tested for gene expression were interleukin (IL)-2, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 16,17, 18, TGF-beta1 and GM-CSF,.

RESULTS

LPS induced small enhancement of GM-CSF gene expression at 18 h. At 40 h, HDM induced about 60-fold enhancement of IL-9 gene expression. IL-9 protein was also detected in the culture supernatants at 60 h. Those reactions were observed regardless of HDM sensitization status of the donors. HDM-induced IL-9 expression was completely inhibited with a serine protease inhibitor, AEBSF, not with a cysteine protease inhibitor, E-64.

CONCLUSIONS

Accumulated eosinophils in the airways in asthma may directly react with HDM and produce IL-9 to further promote Th2-type immune responses. Protease-activated receptor 2, a ligand for serine proteases, which contained in HDM, may be involved in the reaction.