Dieldrin activates rat neutrophils in vitro.

Suppression of phagocytic cell function has been proposed as a possible mechanism for the enhanced sensitivity to certain infectious agents exhibited by animals exposed to the organochloride insecticide, dieldrin. In the present study, we examined the effects of dieldrin on superoxide production by glycogen-elicited peritoneal neutrophils (PMNs) from the rat. Dieldrin caused a concentration-dependent increase in superoxide production by PMNs incubated in vitro at 37 degrees C. Superoxide release was increased significantly with 10 microM dieldrin and reached a maximum of 17 nmol/10 min/2.0 X 10(6) PMNs at a dieldrin concentration of 35 microM. Preincubation of PMNs for 5 min at room temperature with a barely suprathreshold concentration of either phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) or N-formyl-L-methionyl-L-leucyl-L-phenylalanine (FMLP) enhanced dieldrin-stimulated superoxide release by as much as ninefold or threefold, respectively. Maximum enhancement was obtained with 10 microM dieldrin for both PMA and FMLP. Time course studies with PMA-pretreated cells revealed that the rate of superoxide release was dependent on the concentration of dieldrin. Extracellular calcium played an important role in dieldrin-stimulated superoxide release, since PMNs treated with dieldrin in the absence of extracellular calcium did not release superoxide. Also, pretreatment with calcium ionophore A23187 greatly enhanced superoxide release from dieldrin-stimulated PMNs. These results show that dieldrin has a stimulatory effect on superoxide release from rat PMNs in vitro and that this stimulation is dependent on extracellular calcium.

The coagulation system, but not circulating fibrinogen, contributes to liver injury in rats exposed to lipopolysaccharide from gram-negative bacteria.

Evidence suggests that components of the coagulation system contribute to the pathogenesis of liver injury after exposure to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from gram-negative bacteria. Although the mechanism by which the coagulation system mediates liver injury remains unknown, it has been proposed that the conversion of fibrinogen to insoluble fibrin and consequent deposition in liver microvasculature may contribute to the development of liver injury. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that the coagulation system contributes to LPS hepatotoxicity by a mechanism which is dependent on circulating fibrinogen. A marked reduction in plasma fibrinogen concentration occurred in rats after LPS exposure. The decrease in circulating fibrinogen, which marked activation of the coagulation cascade: 1) occurred at doses of LPS that caused liver injury; 2) was temporally associated with the onset of liver injury; and 3) was attenuated by pretreatment with heparin or warfarin under conditions which afforded protection against liver injury. Pretreatment with either pentoxifylline or antiserum to tumor necrosis factor-alpha, both of which protect against LPS hepatotoxicity, also attenuated the LPS-induced decrease in circulating fibrinogen. Polymorphonuclear leukocyte (neutrophil) depletion protected against liver injury after administration of either a small (2 mg/kg) or a large (8 mg/kg) dose of LPS and attenuated the decrease in circulating fibrinogen albeit to a lesser degree after the larger LPS dose. Depletion of circulating fibrinogen with ancrod did not afford protection against LPS hepatotoxicity. These results suggest that the coagulation system contributes to the pathogenesis of LPS-induced liver injury, but it does so by a mechanism which is independent of circulating fibrinogen.

The cholestatic agent, alpha-naphthylisothiocyanate, stimulates superoxide release by rat neutrophils in vitro.

Studies in rats indicate that neutrophils (polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs] are associated with areas of tissue damage after treatment with the hepatotoxicant, alpha-naphthylisothiocyanate (ANIT). Several synthetic and naturally occurring substances stimulate PMNs to release cytotoxic mediators, such as superoxide (O2-). The purpose of the present study was to test the hypothesis that ANIT stimulates the release of O2- from isolated rat PMNs. PMNs derived from rat peritoneum were treated with ANIT in vitro and tested for release of O2-. ANIT caused the release of O2- from PMNs in a concentration-dependent manner. Maximal O2- release (10 +/- 1 nmoles/30 minutes/2 x 10(6) cells) was achieved by an ANIT concentration of 110 microM. This ANIT-induced O2- release was significantly reduced or blocked completely by preincubation of PMNs for 10 minutes with 10 microM or 100 microM SKF 525A, respectively. The beta-isomer of ANIT, which does not cause cholestasis in vivo, did not stimulate O2- release. ANIT-stimulated O2- production decreased sharply after 5 minutes of incubation with ANIT and ceased entirely between 10 to 15 minutes. Shortly after this decrease in O2- production was an increase in the extracellular activity of lactate dehydrogenase. PMNs exposed to ANIT also failed to exclude trypan blue dye, either in the presence or in the absence of superoxide dismutase and catalase, suggesting a direct, oxygen radical-independent, cytotoxic effect of ANIT on PMNs. Release of the lysosomal enzyme, beta-glucuronidase, occurred within 5 minutes of incubation of isolated PMNs with ANIT (110 microM). These results indicate that exposure of rat PMNs to the hepatotoxicant, ANIT, causes the release of cytotoxic agents, whereas its less hepatotoxic beta-isomer does not.

Bile and bile salts potentiate superoxide anion release from activated, rat peritoneal neutrophils.

Certain bile salts cause hepatotoxicity as well as injury to extrahepatic organs when administered to animals. Activated neutrophils (PMNs) may cause tissue injury by releasing reactive oxygen species and other products. Since PMNs may come in contact with biliary components, such as bile salts, following chemical insult to the liver or during cholestasis, we examined the capacity of bile and bile salts to stimulate superoxide anion (O2-) release from rat peritoneal PMNs in vitro. Neither bile nor bile salts, with the exception of lithocholate, could by themselves stimulate O2- release from PMNs. Lithocholate (32 microM) caused small but statistically significant release of O2- from PMNs. When PMNs were primed with a barely suprathreshold concentration of 12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate (PMA), a classic stimulus for PMNs, the addition of bile and certain bile salts markedly enhanced O2- release from PMNs. The monohydroxy bile salt, lithocholate, had the greatest stimulatory activity toward PMA-primed PMNs, causing approximately an eightfold increase in O2- release. The enhancing effect of lithocholate was maximal between 10 and 32 microM, and it also occurred with PMNs isolated from rat blood. Dihydroxy bile salts, deoxycholate and chenodeoxycholate (100 microM), caused more modest enhancement of O2- release (two- to threefold) from primed PMNs. Cholate, a trihydroxy bile salt, was not active at these concentrations. Conjugation of either lithocholate or chenodeoxycholate with either glycine or taurine markedly reduced the ability of the bile salt to enhance O2- release from primed PMNs. Structural alterations on the hydrophilic side chain or within the planar, hydrophobic portion of the bile salt molecule reduced the capacity to enhance O2- release from PMA-primed PMNs. These results indicate that bile salts can potentiate the respiratory burst in PMNs and suggest a role for this interaction in toxicoses or disease states characterized by elevated serum bile salts.

Relationship between tumor necrosis factor-alpha and neutrophils in endotoxin-induced liver injury.

Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and blood neutrophils (polymorphonuclear leukocytes; PMNs) have been implicated in the pathogenesis of endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide, LPS) hepatotoxicity. However, the mechanism by which these factors mediate liver injury during LPS exposure is uncertain. The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that TNF-alpha contributes to LPS hepatotoxicity by an indirect, PMN-dependent mechanism. Pretreatment of rats with an antiserum to TNF-alpha afforded protection against liver injury 6 h after LPS exposure. Pretreatment with pentoxifylline (100 mg/kg i.v.), which attenuated the increase in circulating TNF-alpha concentration 1.5 h after administration of LPS, also afforded protection against liver injury. Neither antiserum to TNF-alpha nor pentoxifylline affected hepatic PMN accumulation 1.5 h after LPS exposure. Depletion of circulating PMNs, which protects against LPS hepatotoxicity, enhanced circulating TNF-alpha concentration compared with control rats 1.5 h after LPS exposure. These results suggest that TNF-alpha contributes to liver injury after LPS exposure, but in the absence of circulating PMNs it is insufficient for full manifestation of liver injury. TNF-alpha apparently contributes to the pathogenesis of LPS-induced liver injury by an indirect, PMN-dependent mechanism.

Neutrophil depletion protects against liver injury from bacterial endotoxin.

Neutrophil (PMN) infiltration is an early occurrence in the liver after exposure to hepatotoxic doses of endotoxin lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that PMNs contribute to the pathogenesis of LPS hepatotoxicity. The immunoglobulin fraction from serum of rabbits immunized with rat PMNs (anti-PMN Ig) was administered intravenously to rats 18 and 6 hours before exposure to an hepatotoxic dose of LPS (Escherichia coli 0128:B12). This protocol caused a greater than 95% reduction in circulating PMNs, which was maintained for the duration of the study. The immunoglobulin fraction from nonimmunized rabbits was used as a control (control Ig). Rats pretreated with control Ig exhibited a marked increase in the number of PMNs in the liver 1.5 hours after LPS exposure. This increase in hepatic PMNs was significantly reduced by pretreatment with anti-PMN Ig. Marked elevations in both alanine and aspartate aminotransferase activities (1086 +/- 311 and 880 +/- 183 SF units/ml, respectively) were observed in plasma from control Ig-treated rats 6 hours after intravenous administration of LPS (3.0 mg/kg). The response to LPS was greatly attenuated in animals receiving anti-PMN Ig (145 +/- 111 and 224 +/- 49 SF units/ml alanine and aspartate aminotransferase activities, respectively). Pretreatment of rats with immunoglobulins to rat lymphocytes reduced numbers of circulating lymphocytes but did not afford protection against the hepatotoxic effects of LPS. These results suggest that PMNs contribute to the pathogenesis of LPS hepatotoxicity.

Differential modulation of prostaglandin H synthase-2 by nitric oxide-related species in intact cells.

Nitrogen monoxide (NO) has been reported to both activate and inhibit prostaglandin (PG) biosynthesis. This apparent paradox might be explained by the production/action of distinct NO-related species formed as a result of the prevailing redox states of different cellular systems. As such, the effect of NO donors with different redox characteristics on the modulation of prostaglandin H synthase-2 (PGHS-2) in primary mouse cortical astrocytes and COS-7 cells engineered to overexpress PGHS-2 was assessed. In general, compounds that released NO(*) or NO(-) enhanced, while a peroxynitrite (OONO(-)) generator inhibited, PGHS-2-dependent prostaglandin production. While the possibility of altered gene transcription was eliminated in the COS-7 system as PGHS-2 was maximally expressed, in primary astrocytes where PGHS-2 expression was induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS), effects on protein expression were detected. Compounds that released NO(*) synergistically enhanced LPS-mediated PGHS-2 protein synthesis. None of these effects were mediated by cGMP. All donors lost their ability to modulate PGHS-2 expression and function when decayed. These results indicate that the ultimate effect of NO on PGHS-2 enzyme activity and expression is dictated by the prevalent NO-related species formed, suggesting that important interactions which may exist between NO and prostanoid pathways in vivo will be highly dependent on the inherent redox environment.

Inducible nitric oxide synthase expression in cultures enriched for mature oligodendrocytes is due to microglia.

Expression of inducible nitric oxide (NO) synthase (NOS-2) occurs during inflammation in the central nervous system (CNS) and has been linked to demyelination accompanying certain CNS inflammatory diseases. Although astrocytes and microglia are thought to be the major sources of NOS-2 expression in the CNS in vivo, recent evidence suggested that the myelin-producing oligodendrocytes (OLs) themselves can express NOS-2 in culture. Given the potentially important pathological implications of this finding, the purpose of this study was to examine further the expression of NOS-2 by OLs in vitro. After exposure to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and interferon-gamma (IFNgamma), primary cultures enriched for mature OLs released NO in a time-dependent manner, although the amount varied considerably between different culture preparations. Increased NO production was accompanied by expression of NOS-2 mRNA and protein, as determined by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blot analysis, respectively. Immunofluorescence analysis revealed that the cell-type expressing NOS-2 in these cultures was galactocerebroside (Gal C)-negative but CD11b-positive. Further, NO production could be attenuated in cultures treated with the microglial/macrophage toxin, leucine methyl ester, prior to LPS/IFNgamma stimulation. Thus, microglia were the source of NOS-2 catalytic activity in these cultures. The present results indicate that LPS and IFNgamma are not effective stimuli for induction of NOS-2 in OLs in primary cell culture.

Methylene dianiline hepatotoxicity is not leukocyte-dependent.

Methylene dianiline (DDM) causes a dose- and time-dependent cholestasis, bile ductular epithelial injury, and hepatic parenchymal insult in rats. The mechanism of toxicity is unknown. Since hepatic leukocyte infiltration is a prominent feature of DDM-induced liver injury, and because leukocytes play a causal role in hepatic and extrahepatic tissue injury, we tested the hypothesis that toxicity caused by DDM is dependent on neutrophils or other circulating inflammatory cells. A polyclonal antibody (NAb) against rat neutrophils was used to address the role of the neutrophil in DDM-induced liver injury. NAb administration caused a significant reduction in circulating neutrophils without altering other leukocyte numbers. Moreover, NAb pretreatment prevented hepatic neutrophil infiltration after administration of DDM. However, neutrophil depletion did not afford protection from DDM-induced liver injury. This result was confirmed and the role of other circulating leukocytes was evaluated by inducing systemic leukopenia using cyclophosphamide (CYCLO). Administration of CYCLO diminished the number of circulating leukocytes within 4 days after treatment. Depletion of leukocytes by CYCLO prevented the hepatic accumulation of leukocytes but did not protect rats from DDM hepatotoxicity. These results suggest that the large numbers of leukocytes that infiltrate the liver after DDM administration do not contribute to hepatic injury.

Cyclooxygenase-2 contributes to N-methyl-D-aspartate-mediated neuronal cell death in primary cortical cell culture.

Cyclooxygenase isozymes (COX-1 and COX-2) are found to be constitutively expressed in brain, with neuronal expression of COX-2 being rapidly induced after numerous insults, including cerebral ischemia. Because overactivation of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors has been implicated in the cell loss associated with ischemia, we characterized the expression of the COX isozymes in murine mixed cortical cell cultures and used isozyme-selective inhibitors to determine their relative contribution to NMDA receptor-stimulated prostaglandin (PG) production and excitotoxic neuronal cell death. Immunocytochemical analysis of mixed cortical cell cultures revealed that COX-2 expression was restricted to neurons, whereas COX-1 was expressed in both neurons and astrocytes. Brief exposure to NMDA (5 min; 100 microM) elicited a time-dependent accumulation of PGs in the culture medium that preceded neuronal cell death and correlated with the induction of COX-2 mRNA. COX-1 expression remained unchanged. Flurbiprofen, a nonselective COX-1/COX-2 inhibitor, blocked NMDA-stimulated PG production and attenuated neuronal death in a concentration-dependent manner. Similar results were obtained with the specific COX-2 inhibitor NS-398 (10-30 microM) but not with the selective COX-1 inhibitor valeryl salicylate (10-300 microM). Inhibition of total constitutive COX activity with aspirin (100 microM, 1.5 h) before NMDA exposure did not prevent subsequent NMDA-mediated neuronal cell death. However, neuronal injury in aspirin-pretreated cultures was attenuated by flurbiprofen administration after NMDA exposure. Finally, the protection afforded by COX-2 inhibition was specific for NMDA because neither flurbiprofen nor NS-398 protected neurons against kainate-mediated neurotoxicity. Together, these results support the conclusion that newly synthesized COX-2 protein contributes to NMDA-induced neuronal injury.