Synthesis, Cytotoxicity Evaluation, and Computational Insights of Novel 1,4-Diazepane-Based Sigma Ligands.

Among several potential applications, sigma receptor ligands can be used as antipsychotics, antiamnesics, and against other neurodegenerative disorders as well as neuroprotective agents. We present herein a new series of diazepane-containing derivatives as σR ligands obtained by a conformational expansion approach of our previously synthesized piperidine-based compounds. The best results were reached by benzofurane 2c, 3c and quinoline 2d, 3d-substituted diazepane derivatives, which showed the highest σR affinity. The cytotoxic activities of synthesized compounds were evaluated against two cancer cell lines, and the results indicated that none of the compounds induced significant toxicity in these cells. We also evaluated the antioxidant activity by radical scavenging capacity of our best compounds on ABTS and H2O2. The results obtained reveal that our new derivatives possess an excellent antioxidant profile and could be protective for the cells. Overall, the benzofurane derivative 2c due to its strong interaction with the active site of the receptor, as confirmed by molecular dynamic simulations, emerged as the optimum compound with high σ1R affinity, low cytotoxicity, and a potent antioxidant activity.

Effect of methylene blue photodynamic therapy on human neutrophil functional responses.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has become an emerging novel therapeutic approach for treating localized microbial infections, particularly those sustained by multidrug-resistant strains. Given the irreplaceable role played by professional phagocytes in limiting infections, such as polymorphonuclear neutrophils, any newly designed antimicrobial therapeutic approach must not interfere with their function. The present investigation presents a detailed analysis of the effect of PDT on the viability and several functional responses of human polymorphonuclear neutrophils loaded with methylene blue (MB), one of the more commonly used photosensitizers in antimicrobial PDT. Taking advantage of the use of a specifically-designed optical LED array for illuminating MB-loaded human polymorphonuclear neutrophils, a number of cell functions have been assayed under miniaturized, strictly controlled and reproducible experimental conditions. The major findings of this study are the following: (1) MB-PDT increases human neutrophils adhesion and does not modify myeloperoxidase release; (2) MB-PDT markedly enhances reactive oxygen species generation that is independent of superoxide-forming phagocytic oxidase and very likely ascribable to LED-dependent excitation of accumulated methylene blue; (3) MB-PDT almost abolishes human neutrophils candidacidal activity by hindering the engulfing machinery. This in vitro study may represent a valuable reference point for future research on PDT applications for treating localized microbial infections.

Discovery of new potent dual sigma receptor/GluN2b ligands with antioxidant property as neuroprotective agents.

Among several potential applications, sigma receptors (σRs) can be used as neuroprotective agents, antiamnesic, antipsychotics and against other neurodegenerative disorders. On the other hands, antagonists of the GluN2b-subunit-containing-N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors are of major interest for the same purpose, being this subunit expressed in specific areas of the central nervous system and responsible for the excitatory regulation of nerve cells. Under these premises, we have synthesized and biologically tested novel hybrid derivatives obtained from the combination of phenyloxadiazolone and dihydroquinolinone scaffolds with different amine moieties, peculiar of σ2R ligands. Most of the new ligands exhibited a pan-affinity towards both σR subtypes and high affinity against GluN2b subunit. The most promising compounds belong to the dihydroquinolinone series, with the best affinity profile for the cyclohexylpiperazine derivative 28. Investigation on their biological activity showed that the new compounds were able to protect SH-SY5Y cells against oxidative stress induced by hydrogen peroxide treatment. These results proved that our dual σR/GluN2b ligands have beneficial effects in a model of neuronal oxidative stress and can represent strong candidate pharmacotherapeutic agents for minimizing oxidative stress-induced neuronal injuries.

Transcriptomics and Immunological Analyses Reveal a Pro-Angiogenic and Anti-Inflammatory Phenotype for Decidual Endothelial Cells.

BACKGROUND: In pregnancy, excessive inflammation and break down of immunologic tolerance can contribute to miscarriage. Endothelial cells (ECs) are able to orchestrate the inflammatory processes by secreting pro-inflammatory mediators and bactericidal factors by modulating leakiness and leukocyte trafficking, via the expression of adhesion molecules and chemokines. The aim of this study was to analyse the differences in the phenotype between microvascular ECs isolated from decidua (DECs) and ECs isolated from human skin (ADMECs). METHODS: DECs and ADMECs were characterized for their basal expression of angiogenic factors and adhesion molecules. A range of immunological responses was evaluated, such as vessel leakage, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in response to TNF-α stimulation, adhesion molecules expression and leukocyte migration in response to TNF-α and IFN-γ stimulation. RESULTS: DECs produced higher levels of HGF, VEGF-A and IGFBP3 compared to ADMECs. DECs expressed adhesion molecules, ICAM-2 and ICAM-3, and a mild response to TNF-α was observed. Finally, DECs produced high levels of CXCL9/MIG and CXCL10/IP-10 in response to IFN-γ and selectively recruited Treg lymphocytes. CONCLUSION: DEC phenotype differs considerably from that of ADMECs, suggesting that DECs may play an active role in the control of immune response and angiogenesis at the foetal-maternal interface.

Chitosan Acetylation Degree Influences the Physical Properties of Polysaccharide Nanoparticles: Implication for the Innate Immune Cells Response.

The aim of the present contribution is twofold as it reports (i) on the role played by chitosan acetylation degree for the stability of nanoparticles (NPs) formed with hyaluronan and (ii) on the effect of the interaction of such NPs with immune cells. Chitosans with similar viscosity-average molecular weight, [Formula: see text], (i.e., 200 000) and different fractions of acetylated units ( FA) together with low-molecular-weight hyaluronan were chosen for developing a select library of formulations via electrostatic complex coacervation. The resulting NPs were analyzed in terms of size, polydispersity, surface charge, and stability in physiological-mimicked media by dynamic light scattering. Only medium acetylated chitosan ( FA = 0.16) guaranteed the stability of NPs. To explore the effect of NPs interaction with immune cells, the release of proinflammatory cytokines and the reactive oxygen species production by human macrophages and neutrophils, respectively, were evaluated. Strikingly, a structure-function relationship emerged, showing that NPs made of chitosans with FA = 0.02, 0.25, 0.46, and 0.63 manifested a proinflammatory activity, linked to the instability of the system. Conversely, NPs made of chitosan with FA = 0.16 neither modified the functional response of macrophages nor that of neutrophils. Of note, such NPs were found to possess additional properties potentially advantageous in applications such as delivery of therapeutics to target inflamed sites: (i) they are devoid of cytotoxic effects, (ii) they avoid engulfment during the early stage of interaction with macrophages, and (iii) they are muco-adhesive, thereby providing for site-specificity and long-residence effects.

Complex Coacervates between a Lactose-Modified Chitosan and Hyaluronic Acid as Radical-Scavenging Drug Carriers.

Complex coacervation of two oppositely charged polysaccharides, namely a lactose-modified chitosan (CTL) and hyaluronan (HA), was investigated in this study. Coacervates of the two polysaccharides were prepared by drop-by-drop injection of HA into CTL. Transmittance and dynamic light scattering (DLS) measurements in combination with TEM analyses demonstrated the formation of spheroidal colloids in the nano-/microsize range showing good homogeneity. Strikingly, the presence of 150 mM supporting NaCl did not hamper the colloid formation. Stability studies on selected formulations demonstrated that HA/CTL coacervates were stable up to 3 weeks at 37 °C and behaved as pH-responsive colloids since transition from entangled to disentangled chains was attained for a proper pH range. The possibility of freeze-drying the coacervates for storage purposes and the ability of encapsulating selected payloads were investigated as well, for two values of the fraction of the lactitol side-chain substitution (FL). Finally, biological tests using human neutrophils were undertaken at acidic pH value (pH = 6.0): under such experimental conditions, akin to those frequently occurring in the inflammatory microenvironment, coacervates scavenged reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated by these cells in basal conditions. Given the well documented bioactivity of CTL with respect to chitosan toward cartilage regeneration, these findings point to a possible application of HA/CTL-based colloids as scavenging and bioactive carriers for the delivery of therapeutic molecules at confined inflamed sites such as knee joints.

New piperidine-based derivatives as sigma receptor ligands. Synthesis and pharmacological evaluation.

The sigma receptor (σR) family has been considered mysterious for a long time. In fact, the σ2R subtype has been cloned only recently, revealing its identity as TMEM97, a NPC1-binding protein involved in cholesterol biosynthesis and implicated in the pathogenesis of cancer and neurologic disorders. With the aim of developing new chemical entities gifted with σR affinity, herein we report the design and synthesis of new piperidine-based alkylacetamide derivatives with mixed affinity towards both σ1 and σ2R subtypes.

Butyrate-Loaded Chitosan/Hyaluronan Nanoparticles: A Suitable Tool for Sustained Inhibition of ROS Release by Activated Neutrophils.

Tissue damage caused by excessive amounts of neutrophil-derived reactive oxygen species (ROS) occurs in many inflammatory diseases. Butyrate is a short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) with known anti-inflammatory properties, able to modulate several neutrophil functions. Evidence is provided here that butyrate inhibits neutrophil ROS release in a dose and time-dependent fashion. Given the short half-life of butyrate, chitosan/hyaluronan nanoparticles are next designed and developed as controlled release carriers able to provide cells with a long-lasting supply of this SCFA. Notably, while the inhibition of neutrophil ROS production by free butyrate declines over time, that of butyrate-loaded chitosan/hyaluronan nanoparticles (B-NPs) is sustained. Additional valuable features of these nanoparticles are inherent ROS scavenger activity, resistance to cell internalization, and mucoadhesiveness. B-NPs appear as promising tools to limit ROS-dependent tissue injury during inflammation. Particularly, by virtue of their mucoadhesiveness, B-NPs administered by enema can be effective in the treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases.

Intracellular shunting of O2(-) contributes to charge compensation and preservation of neutrophil respiratory burst in the absence of voltage-gated proton channel activity.

Proton efflux via voltage-gated proton channels (Hv1) is considered to mediate the charge compensation necessary to preserve NADPH oxidase activity during the respiratory burst. Using the Hv1 inhibitor Zn(2+), we found that the PMA-induced respiratory burst of human neutrophils is inhibited when assessed as extracellular production of O2(-) and H2O2, in accordance with literature studies, but, surprisingly, unaffected when measured as oxygen consumption or total (extracellular plus intracellular) H2O2 production. Furthermore, we show that inhibiting Hv1 with Zn(2+) results in an increased production of intracellular ROS. Similar results, i.e. decreased extracellular and increased intracellular ROS production, were obtained using a human granulocyte-like cell line with severely impaired Hv1 expression. Acidic extracellular pH, which dampens proton efflux, also augmented intracellular production of H2O2. Zinc caused an increase in the rate but not in the extent of depolarization and cytosolic acidification indicating that mechanisms other than proton efflux take part in charge compensation. Our results suggest a hitherto unpredicted mechanism of charge compensation whereby, in the absence of proton efflux, part of O2(-) generated within gp91(phox) in the plasma membrane is shunted intracellularly down electrochemical gradient to dampen excessive depolarization. This would preserve NADPH oxidase activity under conditions such as the inflammatory exudate in which the acidic pH hinders charge compensation by proton efflux.

Killing by neutrophil extracellular traps: fact or folklore?

Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) are DNA structures released by dying neutrophils and claimed to constitute a new microbicidal mechanism. Killing by NET-forming cells is ascribed to these structures because it is prevented by preincubation with DNase, which has been shown to dismantle NETs, before addition of the target microorganisms. Curiously, the possibility that the microorganisms ensnared in NETs are alive has not been considered. Using Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans blastospores, we demonstrate that the microorganisms captured by NETs and thought to be killed are alive because they are released and recovered in cell medium by incubation with DNase. It is concluded that NETs entrap but do not kill microbes.

Chloride movements in human neutrophils during phagocytosis: characterization and relationship to granule release.

Chloride ion efflux is an early event occurring after exposure of human neutrophils to several soluble agonists. Under these circumstances, a rapid and reversible fall in the high basal intracellular chloride (Cl-i) levels is observed. This event is thought to play a crucial role in the modulation of several critical neutrophil responses including activation and up-regulation of adhesion molecules, cell attachment and spreading, cytoplasmic alkalinization, and activation of the respiratory burst. At present, however, no data are available on chloride ion movements during neutrophil phagocytosis. In this study, we provide evidence that phagocytosis of Candida albicans opsonized with either whole serum, complement-derived opsonins, or purified human IgG elicits an early and long-lasting Cl- efflux accompanied by a marked, irreversible loss of Cl-i. Simultaneous assessment of Cl- efflux and phagocytosis in cytochalasin D-treated neutrophils indicated that Cl- efflux occurs without particle ingestion. These results suggest that engagement of immune receptors is sufficient to promote chloride ion movements. Several structurally unrelated chloride channel blockers inhibited phagocytosis-induced Cl- efflux as well as the release of azurophilic-but not specific-granules. It implicates that different neutrophil secretory compartments display distinct sensitivity to Cl-i modifications. Intriguingly, inhibitors of Cl- exchange inhibited cytosolic Ca2+ elevation, whereas Cl- efflux was not impaired in Ca2+-depleted neutrophils. We also show that FcgammaR(s)- and CR3/CR1-mediated Cl- efflux appears to be dependent on protein tyrosine phosphorylation but independent of PI3K and phospholipase C activation.

Common methodology is inadequate for studies on the microbicidal activity of neutrophils.

Microbicidal activity of neutrophils is usually measured by colony-counting techniques after cell lysis in distilled water. While studying the effect of the reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate-oxidase inhibitor diphenyleneiodonium (DPI) on the staphylocidal activity of neutrophils, we obtained inconsistent results: various degrees of inhibition in some experiments and no effect in others. The lysis step, i.e., dilution of neutrophils in distilled water, was the source of error. Cell-associated microorganisms were not dispersed effectively by this treatment. We overcame this problem by using water at pH 11 for cell lysis. Under these conditions, killing was inhibited completely and reproducibly by DPI. Here, we show that cell lysis in distilled water is incomplete and leads to an overestimate of microbial killing. This hinders identification of partial defects and makes complete defects appear as partial. We found that DPI-treated neutrophils and chronic granulomatous disease neutrophils were completely defective in killing of Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans and partially defective in killing of Escherichia coli after lysis with water pH 11, whereas after lysis in distilled water, killing of S. aureus and C. albicans was approximately 60% and approximately 70% of control killing, respectively, and killing of E. coli was normal. Likewise, killing of S. aureus by myeloperoxidase-deficient neutrophils was severely impaired after lysis in water pH 11 but appeared normal after lysis in distilled water. As most studies about neutrophil microbicidal activity have been performed using distilled water, our findings indicate that previous data about killing defects and the effects of agents that modulate microbicidal activity of neutrophils should be re-evaluated.

A single-step, sensitive flow cytofluorometric assay for the simultaneous assessment of membrane-bound and ingested Candida albicans in phagocytosing neutrophils.

BACKGROUND: Distinguishing ingested particles from those attached to the cell surface is an essential requirement when performing quantitative studies of phagocytosis. In the present report, we describe a simple, sensitive and reliable flow cytofluorometric method that achieves this goal in a Candida albicans-human neutrophils (PMN) system. METHODS: The assay is based on the observation that the vital dye trypan blue (TB), while quenching the green fluorescence of fluorescein-labeled C. albicans, causes them to fluoresce red. PMN were incubated with fluorescein-labeled yeast particles for the required time. Aliquots of the incubation mixtures were then promptly diluted with an equal volume of a TB solution at pH 4.0, and subsequently analyzed by flow cytometry for green and red fluorescence. RESULTS: Since TB does not penetrate into the cells, ingested yeasts retain their green fluorescence, while membrane-bound particles display a red fluorescence. CONCLUSIONS: Our fluorescence flow cytometric method enables to simultaneously distinguish, within the leukocyte population, cell subsets with attached and ingested yeast particles. Its major features are: (1) accuracy, sensitivity and reproducibility; (2) no further sample manipulations after completion of phagocytosis; (3) possibility of counting free, attached and internalized yeast particles; and (4) use of a nontoxic reagent (TB).

Evidence that elastase is the TNF-R75 shedding enzyme in resting human polymorphonuclear leukocytes.

We previously showed that a metalloprotease and a serine protease mediate shedding of the TNF-R75 (75-kDa tumor necrosis factor receptor) in neutrophils. Here we show that elastase is the TNF-R75 solubilizing serine protease. Release of the TNF-R75 by resting cells was almost totally inhibited by the serine protease inhibitor diisopropylfluorophosphate (DFP), by two synthetic, chemically unrelated, elastase-specific inhibitors and by alpha1-protease inhibitor. Release after TNF or FMLP (N-formyl-L-methionyl-L-leucyl-L-phenylalanine) stimulation was blocked by DFP and a metalloprotease inhibitor used in combination. Supernatants from resting neutrophils contained a 28-kDa fragment of the receptor, compatible with that generated by elastase, whose appearance was inhibited by DFP. Upon FMLP stimulation, the release of 28-kDa and 40-kDa fragments was observed, which was inhibited by DFP and a metalloprotease inhibitor, respectively. We conclude that elastase is the TNF-R75 sheddase of resting neutrophils and that it contributes to shedding of this receptor in stimulated cells.

Evidence that TNF-induced respiratory burst of adherent PMN is mediated by integrin alpha(L)beta(2).

Polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) respond to tumor necrosis factor (TNF) with a respiratory burst (RB) only after adherence to surfaces coated with extracellular matrix proteins such as fibronectin and fibrinogen (permissive substrates) but not with others such as laminin or collagen (nonpermissive substrates). As PMN adherence to both types of surfaces is dependent on beta(2) integrins, we investigated the molecular basis of the different metabolic response to TNF. In particular, we evaluated the relative role of each beta(2) integrin (alpha(L)beta(2), alpha(M)beta(2), and alpha(X)beta(2)) in adherence and O(2)(-) production of PMN residing on fibronectin- and laminin-coated surfaces, which were considered as models of permissive and nonpermissive surfaces, respectively. By using alpha chain-specific monoclonal antibodies (mAb), we show that alpha(M)beta(2) and alpha(X)beta(2) mediate adherence to fibronectin and laminin; alpha(L)beta(2) is not involved in adherence to laminin and has only a minimal contribution in adherence to fibronectin. Furthermore, production of O(2)(-) in response to TNF was induced by immobilized anti-alpha(L)beta(2) but not anti-alpha(M)beta(2) or anti-alpha(X)beta(2) mAb. A strong correlation was also found between expression of alpha(L)beta(2) and TNF-induced RB on fibronectin. Lastly, PMN responded to TNF on laminin with a RB after the inclusion of alpha(L)-specific mAb in the laminin coat. Thus, we conclude that TNF-induced RB by PMN residing on fibronectin is mediated by alpha(L)beta(2) and that alpha(M)beta(2) and alpha(X)beta(2) are likely to play an ancillary role to the signaling activity of alpha(L)beta(2) by facilitating its recruitment to sites of adherence. The nonpermissiveness of laminin appears to be a consequence of its inability to act as a ligand for alpha(L)beta(2).