Carrageenan-induced suppression of T-lymphocyte proliferation in the rat: abrogation of suppressor factor production by the prostaglandin synthesis inhibitors, indomethacin and ETYA.

Carrageenan, an algal polygalactan reputed to be selectively toxic for macrophages, is widely employed as a tool to dissect pathways of cell-mediated immunity. In the present study, corn oil-elicited rat peritoneal macrophages after 72 h culture with 10 micrograms/ml Seakem 9 Carrageenan secreted a soluble suppressor factor capable of abrogating T-cell activation by phytohemagglutinin-P (PHA). Addition of the prostaglandin synthesis inhibitors Indomethacin or 5,8,11,14-eicosatetraynoic acid (ETYA) prevented inhibitor synthesis by Carrageenan-conditioned macrophages. Seakem 9 and lambda Carrageenans added directly into spleen cell cultures failed to diminish lymphocyte proliferation, but rather stimulated spleen cell division. Macrophages cultured with low concentrations of Carrageenan appeared to be activated on the basis of enhanced tumoristatic capacity against Schmidt-Ruppin sarcoma cells. Thus, macrophages activated by low concentrations of Carrageenan in vitro appear to secrete a product of arachidonic acid metabolism which is a potent inhibitor of PHA-induced spleen cell mitogenesis.

Macrophage-mediated suppression of T lymphocyte proliferation induced by oral carrageenan administration.

Carrageenan, a high molecular weight sulphated polygalactan, is a potent inhibitor of immune responses mediated by macrophages. In the present study, spleen cells from rats orally dosed with 5 mg/kg or 50 mg/kg Seakem 9 carrageenan displayed a long-lasting depression of T lymphocyte mitogenesis as measured by [3H]-thymidine uptake in response to phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) or concanavalin A (Con A). Maximal suppression of splenic T cell proliferation occurred with the low dose (5 mg/kg) of orally administered carrageenan. Removal of adherent cells restored the PHA mitogenic response, suggesting a macrophage-mediated mechanism in suppression of lymphocyte activation. Rats which received 5 mg/kg carrageenan displayed impaired host resistance to Listeria monocytogenes as evidenced by increased numbers of Listeria in the peritoneal cavity 18 hr after i.p. inoculation. Supernatants from peritoneal exudate macrophages, as well as resident macrophages themselves obtained from carrageenan-fed rats, also suppressed PHA-induced spleen cell mitogenesis. These data support the hypothesis that low doses of orally administered carrageenan stimulate a population of macrophages to actively suppress T lymphocyte proliferation, while high doses abolish suppressor activity.

Cytokine production in whole blood ex vivo.

Interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) have been reported to contribute to the pathogenesis of many inflammatory diseases, e.g., rheumatoid arthritis. As monocytes are believed to be the primary source of these cytokines in peripheral blood, the present study was conducted to establish ranges and patterns of IL-1 beta and TNF-alpha secretion. Using heparinized unseparated whole blood obtained from normal human volunteers, peripheral blood monocytes were stimulated with Sal. minnesota LPS or BSA/anti-BSA immune complex-coated beads (BSA-beads). ELISAs for IL-1 beta and TNF-alpha were employed to quantitate cytokine levels in blood plasma without performing arduous and time-consuming extraction procedures. Over the course of a 6 hr incubation, LPS elicited a dose-dependent increase in TNF-alpha and IL-1 beta production. Preincubation of whole blood with interferon-gamma prior to the addition of a suboptimal dose of LPS or BSA-beads resulted in a synergistic potentiation of IL-1 beta/TNF-alpha production. Dexamethasone, utilized in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, proved to be a potent inhibitor of cytokine biosynthesis in whole blood ex vivo. The measurement of cytokine biosynthesis in a relevant physiologic environment not only avoids non-specific monocyte activation, but also may increase our ability to predict clinical outcomes in rheumatoid arthritis and/or other inflammatory diseases.

Optimization of cofactors which regulate RBL-1 arachidonate 5-lipoxygenase.

The arachidonate lipoxygenase from rat basophilic leukemia cells (RBL-1) is widely utilized as a model to dissect the primary enzymatic reactions leading to leukotriene formation. The purpose of the present study was to optimize the specific activity of 5-lipoxygenase prepared from a high speed supernatant of RBL-1 cell homogenates. Activation of 5-lipoxygenase was observed in the presence of micromolar levels of calcium. A synergistic enhancement of 5-lipoxygenase was observed upon addition of equally low levels of ATP; maximal activation was induced by 5 microM CaCl2 plus 5 microM ATP. Addition of a microsomal-membrane preparation and NADPH further augmented 5-HETE biosynthesis. High concentrations (330 microM) of NADPH reversed the microsomal-induced stimulation of RBL-1 5-lipoxygenase, resulting in enzyme inhibition.

Regulation of interleukin-1 beta and tumor necrosis factor secretion by the human monocytic leukemia cell line, THP-1.

Activated macrophages synthesize and release the potent polypeptides, interleukin-1 (IL-1) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF). In an effort to identify the cellular signals which control cytokine production by activated macrophages, we have developed an in vitro model employing the human THP-1 cell line. In the present study, THP-1 cells "primed" by 1.6 microM phorbol 12-myristate-13-acetate (TPA) for 4 hr demonstrated a dose- and time-dependent release of IL-1 beta and TNF upon activation by 20 micrograms/ml LPS. BSA/anti-BSA-coated latex beads were also a potent stimulus for IL-1 beta secretion. Moreover, the combination of a suboptimal concentration of LPS (200 ng/ml) plus interferon-gamma (0.03-333 U/ml) greatly enhanced IL-1 beta production. Resting THP-1 monocytes not "primed" by TPA did not secrete IL-1 beta or TNF. These distinct patterns of cytokine production may be related to the developmental stages of macrophage activation.

Interleukin-6 can prime THP-1 macrophages for enhanced production of tumor necrosis factor-alpha in response to LPS.

Although interferon-gamma has been shown to effectively prime macrophages for enhanced production of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF alpha), it is reasonable to assume that other cytokines present in the extracellular environment may likewise facilitate cytokine biosynthesis. For example, interleukin-6 (IL-6) is synthesized by synovial lining macrophages and fibroblasts, and has been detected (along with TNF alpha) in rheumatoid synovial effusions. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to determine whether IL-6 influences the production of IL-1 beta and/or TNF alpha by THP-1 macrophages. Although IL-6 treatment alone resulted in only a slight increase in TNF alpha levels, administration of IL-6 followed by Sal. minnesota LPS resulted in a synergistic potentiation of TNF alpha production by THP-1 macrophages. The priming effect of IL-6 could be reversed by boiling, or by the addition of a neutralizing polyclonal antibody against IL-6. Notably, IL-6 only weakly enhanced interleukin-1 beta production. In summary, the ability of IL-6 to potentiate TNF alpha production by THP-1 macrophages may provide insight into the regulation of the cytokine network in inflammatory diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis.

Lyso(bis)phosphatidic acid: a novel source of arachidonic acid for oxidative metabolism by rabbit alveolar macrophages.

To identify the source of arachidonic acid utilized for eicosanoid production, rabbit alveolar macrophages were challenged with 1.0 microM 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) or 3.8 microM Ca+2 ionophore A23187 for 3 h. Upon stimulation with TPA, a loss of [3H]arachidonic acid from phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, lyso(bis)phosphatidic acid, and phosphatidylserine/phosphatidylinositol was observed. Although calcium ionophore stimulated the liberation of arachidonate solely from phosphatidyl-ethanolamine and phosphatidylcholine, it proved to be a poor stimulus for macrophage-synthesis of eicosanoids. Our evidence suggests that degradation of phosphatidylinositol and lyso(bis)phosphatidic acid induced by TPA yields a source of arachidonate which is the preferred substrate for oxidative metabolism by the cyclooxygenase and lipoxygenase pathways.

Regulation of arachidonic acid metabolism in resident and BCG-activated alveolar macrophages: role of lyso(bis)phosphatidic acid.

To dissect mechanisms of arachidonic acid (20:4) metabolism in pulmonary alveolar macrophages (PAM), two distinct cell populations were investigated, resident and BCG-activated rabbit alveolar macrophages. After purified resident PAM were labeled overnight with [3H]20:4, radioactivity was localized primarily within lyso(bis)phosphatidic acid (L(bis)PA) (13.1% +/- 1.7), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) (22.8% +/- 0.8), and phosphatidylcholine (PC) (26.7% +/- 1.7), with lesser amounts recovered in phosphatidylserine plus phosphatidylinositol (PS/PI) (9.2 +/- 0.8%). By contrast, analysis of the phospholipid classes from prelabeled BCG-activated PAM revealed that the amount of [3H]20:4 contained in L(bis)PA was profoundly decreased (4.7% +/- 0.4), p less than 0.003), whereas [3H]20:4 contained within other BCG phospholipids remained unchanged. Moreover, L(bis)PA, which composed 18.6% +/- 1.2 of the total phospholipid phosphorus of resident PAM, was reduced to 4.1% +/- 0.1 in BCG-activated macrophages (p less than 0.01). Phospholipase A2 from snake venom or from pancreas failed to release 20:4 from L(bis)PA, and lipase (phospholipase A1) from Rhizopus delmar liberated no more than one-third of this arachidonate. These results suggest that much of the arachidonate is not mobilized by classical phospholipases A1 and A2. When [3H]20:4-labeled PAM were stimulated with 1 microM 12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate (TPA), a loss of [3H]20:4 was observed from L(bis)PA, PE, PC, and PS/PI, with a concomitant increase in the synthesis of Hete and leukotriene C4. BCG-activated PAM exposed to either TPA or 3.8 microM calcium ionophore A23187 liberated [3H]20:4 solely from PE and PC, with diminished 20:4 oxidative metabolism. Analysis of the specific radioactivities of phospholipids obtained from resident PAM prelabeled with [3H]20:4 or [32P]i demonstrated that the specific activity of [32P]L(bis)PA was negligible, whereas that of [3H]20:4 was quite high. In addition, L(bis)PA deacylation induced by TPA in resident PAM was always accompanied by a corresponding loss of [3H]20:4 from phosphatidylinositol (PI), suggesting that metabolism of this novel phospholipid proceeded by a deacylation-reacylation reaction rather than by de novo synthesis. BCG-activated PAM, which exhibited depressed eicosanoid formation, consistently failed to deacylate [3H]20:4 from L(bis)PA or PI. These studies demonstrate that, unlike 20:4 derived from PE and PC by BCG-activated PAM, L(bis)PA may indeed provide a novel source of 20:4 that is tightly coupled to the lipoxygenase pathway.

The pharmacologic evaluation of locomotor activity versus inflammatory parameters in rat adjuvant arthritis.

Adjuvant-induced arthritis (AA) is an experimental model of inflammatory joint disease in the rat which mimics rheumatoid arthritis. Although paw inflammation (e.g., swelling) is commonly used to monitor the efficacy of antiarthritic drugs, a reduction in locomotor function may provide a more sensitive evaluation of "functional disability" in AA rats. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of dietary therapy with prednisolone or ibuprofen on locomotor activity as well as arthritic symptoms in established AA (days 20-42). AA rats demonstrated an increase in arthritis scores, spleen weights, fibrinogen, and WBC along with a reduction in locomotor function. Prednisolone (2 mg/kg/day) exhibited a positive therapeutic effect on all these parameters. Ibuprofen (50 mg/kg/day) consistently lowered arthritis scores and fibrinogen; however, locomotor function only improved on day 35. In conclusion, the measurement of locomotor activity in concert with other experimental parameters may provide a more meaningful evaluation of disease severity or improvement in AA.