Understanding liver immunology using intravital microscopy.

The liver has come a long way since it was considered only a metabolic organ attached to the gastrointestinal tract. The simultaneous ascension of immunology and intravital microscopy evidenced the liver as a central axis in the immune system, controlling immune responses to local and systemic agents as well as disease tolerance. The multiple hepatic cell populations are organized in a vascular environment that promotes intimate cellular interactions, including initiation of innate and adaptive immune responses, rapid leukocyte recruitment, pathogen clearance and production of a variety of immune mediators. In this review, we focus on the advances in liver immunology supported by intravital microscopy in diseases such as isquemia/reperfusion, acute liver injury and infections.

Allergenic sensitization prevents upregulation of haemopoiesis by cyclo-oxygenase inhibitors in mice.

1. We evaluated whether immunization affects bone-marrow responses to indomethacin, because allergenic sensitization and challenge upregulate responses to haemopoietic cytokines (including IL-5-driven eosinopoiesis) in murine bone-marrow, while indomethacin upregulates haemopoiesis and protects bone-marrow from radiation damage. 2. Progenitor (semi-solid) and/or precursor (liquid) cultures were established from bone-marrow of: (a) normal mice; (b) ovalbumin-sensitized mice, with or without intranasal challenge. Cultures were established with GM-CSF (2 ng ml(-1)) or IL-5 (1 ng ml(-1)), respectively, alone or associated with indomethacin (10(-7) - 10(-11) M) or aspirin (10(-7) - 10(-8) M). Total myeloid colony numbers and numbers of eosinophil-peroxidase-positive cells were determined at day 7. 3. In naïve BALB/c mice, indomethacin (10(-7) - 10(-9) M) increased GM-CSF-stimulated myeloid colony formation (P=0.003 and P=0.009, respectively). In contrast, it had no effect on bone-marrow of ovalbumin-sensitized and challenged mice. Indomethacin (10(-7) - 10(-9) M) also increased eosinophil precursor responses to IL-5 in bone-marrow of naïve (P<0.001 and P=0.002 respectively), but not sensitized-challenged mice. Aspirin (10(-7) M) had similar effects, equally abolished by sensitization. Enhancement of haemopoiesis by indomethacin required adherent cells from naïve bone-marrow. Nonadherent cells responded to IL-5 but not to indomethacin. Indomethacin was effective on bone-marrow from sham-sensitized, ovalbumin-challenged, but not from sensitized, saline-challenged mice. Plasma transfer from immune mice abolished eosinophil precursor responses to indomethacin in bone-marrow of naïve recipients. This was not prevented by previous removal of antibody from immune plasma. 4. COX inhibitors enhance haemopoiesis in naïve but not allergic mice. Responsiveness to indomethacin can be abolished either by active sensitization or by immune plasma transfer. Specific antibody is not involved.