Adenosine inhibition of lymphocyte-mediated cytolysis: possible role of cyclic adenosine monophosphate.

The in vitro destruction of tumor cells by specifically sensitized mouse lymphocytes was inhibited by adenosine; this inhibition was markedly potentiated by the presence of an inhibitor of adenosine deaminase. The inhibition of cytolysis by adenosine was accompanied by a rapid elevation in lymphocytic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cyclic AMP) concentrations. Both the inhibition of cytolysis and the elevation of cyclic AMP were reversed by prolonged incubation of the lymphocytes in the presence of adenosine or, more rapidly, by removal of the adenosine. Low concentrations of adenosine also caused an elevation of cyclic AMP in human lymphocytes, and this effect of adenosine may contribute to the lack of immune response associated with adenosine deaminase deficiency.

Efficacy of treatment with the iron (III) complex of diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid in mice and primates inoculated with live lethal dose 100 Escherichia coli.

The iron (III) complex of diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid (DTPA iron [III]) protected mice and baboons from the lethal effects of an infusion with live LD100 Escherichia coli. In mice, optimal results were obtained when DTPA iron (III) was administered two or more hours after infection. Prevention of death occurred in spite of the fact that the adverse effects of TNF-alpha were well underway in the mouse model. The half-life of DTPA iron (III) was 51 +/- 9 min in normal baboons; primary clearance was consistent with glomerular filtration. In septic baboons, survival was observed after administration of two doses of DTPA iron (III) at 2.125 mg/kg, the first one given before, or as late as 2 h after, severe hypotension. Administration of DTPA iron (III) did not alter mean systemic arterial pressure, but did protect baboons in the presence of high levels of TNF-alpha and free radical overproduction. Furthermore, exaggerated production of nitric oxide was attenuated. The mechanism of protection with DTPA iron (III) is not obvious. Because of its ability to interact in vitro with free radicals, its poor cell permeability, and its short half-life, we postulate that DTPA iron (III) and/or its reduced form may have protected the mice and baboons by sequestration and subsequent elimination of free radicals (including nitric oxide) from their systems.

In vivo and in vitro antitumor activity expressed by cells of concomitantly immune mice.

Growth of a primary tumor is often accompanied by the development of resistance to subsequent challenge implants of the same tumor, i.e., concomitant immunity. Using the P815 mastocytoma tumor, the kinetics of concomitant immunity was found to be governed by duration of exposure to the tumor and tumor mass. By implanting small "challenges" prior to the immunizing tumor, resistance to the growth of existing tumor foci was demonstrated. Winn-type assays revealed that antitumor activity was present in cell populations from the peritoneal exudate and lymph node draining the tumor. Peritoneal exudate cells, when infused systemically, were also able to confer protection against P815 mastocytoma challenge, suggesting their role as mediators of concomitant immunity. The 51Cr release technique indicated that cytolytic activity in lymph node cells, peritoneal exudate cells, and the spleen was present over a time course parallel to the kinetics of in vivo challenge. The peritoneal resident cell population was only slightly active; thus, effectors accumulated in the inflammatory exudate. Removal of specific subsets of cells from effector populations with antibody to surface markers and complement produced similar effects on both Winn and cytolytic assays. Anti-Thy 1.2 ablated measurable activity. It was substantially but not completely reduced by anti-Lyt 1.1 and only to a small degree by anti-Lyt 2.1.

In vitro cytotoxicity expressed by cells active against established tumors in vivo.

Although antitumor activity by host cells has been documented in vivo and in vitro, the cellular relationships between these two classes of studies are not clear. Cells capable of causing the regression of solid tumors are generated in lymph nodes draining sites of immunization with Corynebacterium parvum:irradiated P815 mastocytoma admixtures. These cells are active in a 51Cr release assay at a low effector:target ratio producing a characteristic low level of specific 51Cr release which required 24 hr for optimal development. The activity is immunologically specific for the immunizing tumor and is mediated by nonadherent, rapidly dividing (vinblastine-sensitive) cells. They are absent in thymectomized animals and susceptible to alpha-Thy 1.2 antibody and complement. They are present in peritoneal exudates, consistent with the systemic resistance demonstrable in the animal model. The properties and development kinetics of effector cells measured by 51Cr release correlate closely with those of cells showing in vivo activity, supporting the identity of the two populations.

Effect of acyclovir on various murine in vivo and in vitro immunologic assay systems.

In two in vitro tests, lymphocyte-mediated cytotoxicity and neutrophil chemotaxis, acyclovir showed no inhibitory effects at concentrations as high as 600 microM. The compound inhibited rosette formation with nonimmune mouse lymphocytes in vitro by approximately 50 percent at 15.8 microM. The significance of this inhibition is unclear. In four in vivo tests in mice which measured humoral and cell-mediated immunity (complement-dependent cellular cytotoxicity, complement-independent cellular cytotoxicity, delayed hypersensitivity and graft versus host reaction) acyclovir showed no inhibitory effects at single doses up to 200 mg/kg given on day 2 after antigenic stimulation. Four daily doses of acyclovir at 50 mg/kg per day had no effect on the numbers of hemolytic IgM antibody-forming cells in the spleen when assayed on day 4. At the higher dosage of 100 mg/kg per day for four days, there was a slight reduction in the numbers of these cells. There was no significant decrease in hemagglutinin or hemolysin antibody titers after four daily doses of acyclovir up to 200 mg/kg.

Imidazo[4,5-c]pyridines (3-deazapurines) and their nucleosides as immunosuppressive and antiinflammatory agents.

A variety of imidazo[4,5-c]pyridines (3-deazapurines) were synthesized. With use of these aglycons as pentosyl acceptors, the corresponding ribonucleosides and 2'-deoxyribonucleosides were prepared by an enzymatic method involving transfer of the pentosyl moiety from appropriate pyrimidine nucleosides. With most of the imidazo[4,5-c]pyridines, the products obtained from the enzyme-catalyzed reactions were pentosylated exclusively in the 1-position. However, some 3-pentosylation occurred with aglycons that had H or N3 in the 4-position. In addition to the 2'-deoxy congener of the ribonucleoside of 4-amino-1H-imidazo[4,5-c]pyridine, the 5'-deoxy and 2',5'-dideoxy congeners were synthesized. All of the aglycons and their nucleosides were tested for toxicity to mammalian cells in culture. None were markedly cytotoxic. These compounds were also evaluated for their ability to inhibit lymphocyte-mediated cytolysis in vitro. 3-Deazaadenosine (23) and its 2'-deoxy congener (38) were the most potent inhibitors (ED50 = 20 microM). In addition to these two in vitro tests, in vivo inhibition of the inflammatory response in the rat carregeenan pleurisy model was determined. 3-Deazaadenosine (23) was the most potent compound (ED50 = 3 mg/kg) in this in vivo test.

Ca2+ ionophore-induced cyclic adenosine-3',5'-monophosphate elevation in human neutrophils. A calmodulin-dependent potentiation of adenylate cyclase response to endogenously produced adenosine: comparison to chemotactic agents.

The cyclic adenosine-3',5'-monophosphate (cAMP) elevation caused by exposure of human neutrophils to the Ca2+ ionophore A23187 was prevented when endogenously produced adenosine was either removed by preincubation with adenosine deaminase or blocked from binding to the adenosine receptor by antagonists [theophylline or (E)-4-(1,2,3,6-tetrahydro-1,3-dimethyl-2,6-dioxo-9H-purin-8-yl)cinnamic acid]. In the absence of endogenous adenosine, A23187 potentiated the neutrophil cAMP response to 2-chloroadenosine, prostaglandin E1, and isoproterenol. When neutrophil suspensions were preincubated with concentrations of Ro 20-1724, which appeared to maximally inhibit cAMP phosphodiesterase, A23187 was still able to substantially elevate cAMP levels, suggesting that A23187 increases cAMP by amplifying adenylate cyclase responsiveness to the agonist rather than by inhibiting cAMP phosphodiesterase. The ability of A23187 to augment the cAMP elevation caused by 2-chloroadenosine was persistent over a 10-min period. The neutrophil cAMP elevations caused by chemoattractants leukotriene B4, C5a, and N-formyl-L-methionyl-L-leucyl-L-phenylalanine (FMLP) were all prevented when endogenously produced adenosine was eliminated from the cell suspensions by the addition of adenosine deaminase. The A23187-induced cAMP elevation was inhibited completely by the calmodulin inhibitors chlorpromazine, trifluoperazine and N-(6-aminohexyl)-5-chloro-1-naphthalenesulfonamide, whereas cAMP levels induced by FMLP, leukotriene B4 and C5a were less affected. It appears that A23187 raises cAMP in human neutrophils by a calmodulin-dependent potentiation of adenylate cyclase responsiveness to endogenously produced adenosine while the chemoattractant-induced cAMP elevations (FMLP), leukotriene B4, and C5a), although possibly Ca2+ dependent, are less sensitive to calmodulin inhibitors and may involve additional biochemical events.

3-Deazaadenosine 5'-triphosphate: a novel metabolite of 3-deazaadenosine in mouse leukocytes.

Evidence has been obtained for the metabolic formation of small amounts (1-2% of the ATP pool) of 3-deazaadenosine 5'-triphosphate (c3ATP) from 3-deazaadenosine (c3Ado) in mouse cytolytic lymphocytes and mouse resident peritoneal macrophages. With intact leukocytes, pharmacological evidence was obtained that adenosine kinase was not the enzyme chiefly responsible for the phosphorylation of c3Ado. Moreover, in the presence of MgCl2, NaCl and IMP, purified rat liver 5'-nucleotidase catalyzed the phosphorylation of c3Ado to 3-deazaadenosine 5'-monophosphate (c3AMP). Two lines of evidence suggest that the metabolic formation of c3ATP is not involved in the inhibition of leukocyte function caused by c3Ado. First, the inhibitory action of c3Ado on antibody-dependent phagocytosis and lymphocyte-mediated cytolysis was reversed markedly upon removal of the drug from the medium. However, the intracellular content of c3ATP remained constant in lymphocytes and macrophages after removal of c3Ado. Second, in macrophages and in lymphocytes, similar intracellular amounts of c3ATP were formed from both c3Ado and 3-deazaadenine under conditions in which the former was biologically active and the latter was essentially inactive. Thus, it appears unlikely that the novel c3ATP metabolite is of relevance for the mechanism of action of c3Ado in mouse leukocytes.

Inhibition of lymphocyte function by 9-deazaadenosine.

9-Deazaadenosine (c9Ado), a novel C-nucleoside, has been found to inhibit lymphocyte-mediated cytolysis (LMC) in a time-dependent manner. c9Ado inhibited LMC by 50% at concentrations of 10 and 0.07 microM after drug-pretreatment periods of 3 and 22 hr, respectively, although a 1-hr pretreatment of cytolytic lymphocytes with 100 microM c9Ado had no effect upon this lymphocyte function. c9Ado was metabolized rapidly and extensively to 9-deazaadenosine 5'-triphosphate (c9ATP) both by mouse cytolytic lymphocytes and by human erythrocytes. Adenosine kinase purified from rabbit liver phosphorylated c9Ado with a Km of 200 microM and a Vmax of 8% that for adenosine. The metabolic buildup of c9ATP in lymphocytes was accompanied by a large, time-dependent decrease in cellular ATP and by smaller percentage decreases in CTP, UTP and GTP. Among other biochemical effects examined, c9Ado was found to cause a decrease in lymphocyte cAMP content and appeared to be neither an inhibitor nor a substrate for S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase. Consistent with this latter result, L-homocysteine thiolactone had no effect on the inhibition of LMC by c9Ado. Neither the inhibition of LMC by c9Ado nor the metabolic formation of c9ATP in lymphocytes was affected by erythro-9-(2-hydroxy-3-nonyl)adenine (EHNA), indicating that c9Ado is not a substrate for adenosine deaminase. 5-Iodotubercidin, a non-competitive inhibitor (Kis = 9 nM, Ku = 20 nM) of adenosine kinase, prevented the above effects of c9Ado on lymphocyte function, c9ATP formation, and ATP levels. Either complete preservation (with coformycin) or partial replenishment (with adenosine plus EHNA) of ATP levels in c9Ado-treated lymphocytes resulted in partial restoration of cytolytic function to cells containing large amounts of c9ATP. These results suggest that c9Ado is inhibitory to LMC both because it causes a decrease in the absolute concentration of ATP within the cytolytic lymphocytes and because it permits the establishment within these cells of an unfavorable c9ATP:ATP ratio which impedes the utilization of ATP in a reaction essential to the execution of this lymphocyte function.

Effects of adenosine deaminase inhibitors on lymphocyte-mediated cytolysis.

Four compounds that inhibit adenosine deaminase, erythro-9-(2-hydroxy-3-nonyl)adenine, 2'-deoxycoformycin, coformycin, and 9-(1-hydroxy-2-octyl)adenine have been studied in an in vitro lymphocyte-mediated cytolysis assay. At low concentration (congruent to 10 microM) these agents enhance the activities of a number of inhibitory purine nucleosides, including adenosine and 2'-deoxyadenosine. The LMC-inhibitory activity of Ado but not dAdo is further enhanced by 5-iodotubercidin, uridine, 4-(3-butoxy-4-methoxybenzyl)-2-imidazolidinone, or L-homocysteine and is antagonized by theophylline. The inhibition of LMC by Ado and dAdo is increased by nitrobenzyl-thioinosine. Lymphocyte-mediated cytolysis was inhibited by EHNA or HOA alone (IC50 congruent to 150 microM), but not by dCF and CF (even at 400 microM). Inhibition of LMC by EHNA, HOA, Ado, or dAdo could not be attributed to changes in nucleoside 5'-triphosphate or S-adenosylhomocysteine levels. Inhibition of LMC by Ado appears to be related to increases in lymphocyte cAMP levels, while the mechanism of action of dAdo remains obscure. Lymphocyte-mediated cytolysis may be inhibited by EHNA and HOA through modulation of cAMP metabolism.

Effects of adenosine on neutrophil polarization induced by N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine, sodium propionate and colchicine.

Polarization of human neutrophils (a characteristic bipolar shape change) can be induced by the chemotactic peptide N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (FMLP); sodium propionate, which causes a rapid acidification of the cytosol; or colchicine, which disrupts microtubules. We have previously reported that adenosine, endogenously produced in human neutrophil suspensions, inhibits FMLP-induced polarization. We report here that endogenously produced adenosine also inhibits sodium propionate-induced polarization but has no effect on colchicine-induced polarization. These results suggest that neutrophil polarization may be a multistep process inducible by compounds that trigger different biochemical events.

Effects of calmodulin antagonists on immune mouse lymphocytes.

The nature of the Ca2+ requirement of lymphocyte-mediated cytolysis (LMC) has been explored pharmacologically with a number of putative calmodulin antagonists. N-(6-Aminohexyl)-5-chloro-1-naphthalenesulfonamide (W-7), N-(6-aminohexyl)-1-naphthalenesulfonamide (W-5), trifluoperazine, and chlorpromazine were found to inhibit LMC (IC50 values = 8.9, approximately 50, 7.4, and 9.4 microM, respectively) at concentrations which were not detectably toxic to either the effector or the target cell. Pimozide inhibited LMC by 50% at 15 microM but caused a substantial decrease in lymphocyte ATP content and viability at this concentration. 1-[Bis(p-chlorophenyl)methyl]-3-[2,4-dichloro-beta-(2,4-dichlorobenzy loxy) phenethyl]imidazolium chloride (R 24 571, calmidazolium), which has been reported to be the most potent antagonist of isolated calmodulin, caused a marked decrease in lymphocyte ATP content and viability at concentrations greater than 4 microM and inhibited LMC only slightly at similar concentrations. Trifluoperazine sulfoxide and chlorpromazine sulfoxide were not inhibitory to LMC at less than or equal to 20 microM. LMC was inhibited in a sustained manner when cytolytic lymphocytes, but not target cells, were pretreated separately with W-7 or chlorpromazine at 37 degrees and were then washed free of exogenous drug prior to the start of the LMC assay. The above cellular effects of the calmodulin antagonists were reduced in magnitude when the serum concentration in the culture medium was increased (from 5% to 20%). The inhibition of LMC by micromolar concentrations of W-7, trifluoperazine, and chlorpromazine, as well as the relative inactivities of W-5 versus W-7 and of the sulfoxide derivatives of trifluoperazine and chlorpromazine, are consistent with calmodulin's being a lymphocyte receptor whose occupancy by Ca2+ is required for the performance of this cytolytic function. However, this conclusion must be tempered by the finding that even W-7, trifluoperazine, and chlorpromazine can exert nonspecific effects on the energy metabolism and viability of the cytolytic lymphocytes at concentrations of drug severalfold higher than those required to inhibit LMC.

Mouse virulence of K(L) antigen-containing strains of Escherichia coli.

The mouse virulence of two K antigen-containing (L variety) strains of Escherichia coli (serotype O2:K1) isolated from human septicemia, and of their variants which lacked K antigen, was studied. The strains containing envelope antigen (K+) were highly virulent when injected intracerebrally or when suspended in mucin and injected intraperitoneally. After intraperitoneal injection of E-107 K+ (but not K-), there was a marked initial growth in the peritoneal cavity followed by bacteremia and infection of all the organs examined. In the mucin-enhanced lethal infection, this growth continued until death of the animal; in the nonlethal infection, growth ceased and the count dropped quickly after approximately 5 hr. Host defenses were depressed greatly by intraperitoneally, but not intravenously, administered mucin. Bacteria were most virulent when injected intraperitoneally. In vitro phagocytosis of the K+ bacteria required opsonins not needed for phagocytosis of the smooth K- variants. Opsonins were found in immunized rabbit and normal mouse sera. Immune rabbit sera contained antibodies with anti-K specificity which were opsonic in vitro and highly protective in vivo when administered passively. There appears to be a lesser anti-O opsonic and protective activity involving one of the strains (E-107 K+), and colonial morphology, agglutination, and absorption tests indicated a low amount of K antigen on this organism. No anti-O opsonic or protective activity could be shown involving the other strain (E-102 K+). When standard serological typing procedures were used, these two strains appeared to be identical serologically, but they differed greatly in sensitivity to immune rabbit serum in phagocytosis experiments in vitro.

Chemotactic peptide induces cAMP elevation in human neutrophils by amplification of the adenylate cyclase response to endogenously produced adenosine.

The transient increase in human neutrophil cAMP levels induced by the chemoattractant N-formyl-L-methionyl-L-leucyl-L-phenylalanine (FMLP) is shown to be caused by amplification of adenylate cyclase response to endogenously produced adenosine. The FMLP-stimulated increase in neutrophil cAMP was potentiated markedly by a nonmethylxanthine cAMP phosphodiesterase inhibitor (Ro 20-1724). By inhibiting the degradation of newly formed cAMP, Ro 20-1724 rendered the FMLP-induced cAMP elevation persistent rather than transient. The role of endogenously produced adenosine in this phenomenon is demonstrated by the ability of either adenosine deaminase or theophylline, an adenosine receptor antagonist, to prevent FMLP-stimulated cAMP elevation. The general nature of the FMLP-potentiated cAMP response is indicated by the finding that FMLP-treated neutrophils, in the presence of exogenously supplied adenosine deaminase, exhibited augmented cAMP generation in response to three different types of receptor agonists: 2-chloroadenosine, prostaglandin E1, and L-isoproterenol. Moreover, like the neutrophil cAMP increase caused by FMLP alone, the ability of FMLP to augment cAMP response to 2-chloroadenosine in adenosine deaminase-treated cells was short-lived and declined after 1.0 min of exposure to FMLP. Preincubation of neutrophil suspensions with the adenylate cyclase inhibitor SQ 22,536 completely prevented FMLP-induced cAMP generation. Furthermore, when neutrophil suspensions were preincubated with concentrations of Ro 20-1724, which apparently maximally inhibit cAMP phosphodiesterase, a 30-s incubation with FMLP still resulted in substantially elevated cAMP levels. It therefore appears that FMLP raises cAMP by activating adenylate cyclase rather than inhibiting cAMP phosphodiesterase.