Lipid-mediated ex vivo gene transfer of viral interleukin 10 in rat lung allotransplantation.

BACKGROUND: Recent studies suggest that viral interleukin 10 suppresses alloimmune response in transplantation and that cationic lipids are one of the most promising nonviral vehicles for gene therapy. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of ex vivo lipid-mediated viral IL10 gene transfer into rat lung allografts on subsequent rejection. METHODS: Male F344 rats (RT1lvl) underwent left lung transplantation with allografts from Brown Norway rats (RT1n). Allografts were transvascularly transfected 15 minutes after harvest with 5 mL of 1:20-diluted (group 1, n = 7) or 1:40-diluted (group 2, n = 6) GL67-pCMVievIL-10 complex. Group 3 (n = 7), serving as the control group, received 1:40-diluted GL67-pCF1-chloramphenicol acetyltransferase complex. All allografts were preserved for 3 hours at 10 degrees C before transplantation. In all groups recipients were killed on postoperative day 5. Transgene expression of viral interleukin 10 was assessed by means of both reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry. Histologic rejection score, allograft gas exchange, exhaled nitric oxide level, and allograft cytokine mRNA expression were also assessed. RESULTS: Dose-dependent transgene expression of viral interleukin 10 was detected by means of both reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry. Allograft gas exchange (PaO2) in groups 1 (114.06 +/- 61.1 mm Hg) and 2 (108.58 +/- 35.7 mm Hg) was significantly better than that in group 3 (66.4 +/- 8.22 mm Hg; P =.020 and P =.023, respectively). The vascular rejection score in group 1 was significantly lower than that in group 3 (P =.032, Kruskal-Wallis test). Exhaled nitric oxide levels in group 2 (5.150 +/- 6.38 ppb) were significantly lower than those in group 3 (13.517 +/- 10.4 ppb; P =.039). Allograft interleukin 2 mRNA expression levels in group 1 (1.123 +/- 0.23 relative units) were significantly lower than those in group 3 (1.753 +/- 0.71 relative units; P =.038 vs group 3). CONCLUSIONS: Lipid-mediated ex vivo viral IL10 gene transfer into rat lung allografts improved graft gas exchange, reduced histologic rejection scores, downregulated graft interleukin 2 mRNA expression, and reduced exhaled nitric oxide levels by postoperative day 5. These results suggest a therapeutic potential of graft viral IL10 gene transfer as an effective immunosuppressive strategy against lung allograft rejection.

Endobronchial transfection of naked viral interleukin-10 gene in rat lung allotransplantation.

BACKGROUND: Recent studies suggest that viral interleukin-10 (vIL-10) suppresses alloimmune response in transplantation. Tissue mRNA expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and exhaled nitric oxide (NO) levels have been observed to increase in lung allograft rejection. The aims of this study were to examine the feasibility of vIL-10 gene transfer into rat lung allografts and to investigate its effect on subsequent allograft rejection. METHODS: Male Lewis rats (RT1l) underwent left lung transplantation with allografts from Brown Norway rats (RT1n). The donor rats were endobronchially transfected 2 minutes before harvest with 400 microg (group I, n = 5), 600 microg (group II, n = 5), or 800 microg (group III, n = 5) of naked pCMVievIL-10. Group IV (n = 5) animals, serving as control, received 400 microg of naked pCF1-CAT. All recipients were sacrificed on postoperative day 5. Transgene expression of vIL-10 was assessed by both reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry. Allograft gas exchange, exhaled NO level, histologic rejection score, and mRNA expression of graft cyokines were also assessed. RESULTS: Transgene expression of lung graft vIL-10 was detected by both reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry. The iNOS mRNA expression in groups I, II, and III was significantly lower than that of group IV (p < 0.05, analysis of variance). Exhaled NO levels in groups I, II, and III were significantly lower than in group IV (p < 0.01, analysis of variance). There was no significant difference between groups with respect to gas exchange, peak airway pressure, or histologic rejection score. CONCLUSIONS: It appears that endobronchial transfection of naked vIL-10 plasmid in a rat lung allotransplant model is feasible and suppresses lung iNOS mRNA expression and exhaled NO levels. An association between iNOS upregulation and high exhaled NO levels in lung allograft resection was also noted.

Adenovirus-mediated gene transfer of human interleukin 10 ameliorates reperfusion injury of rat lung isografts.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to examine the feasibility of human interleukin 10 gene transfer into rat lung isografts and to investigate the effect of gene transfer on subsequent ischemia-reperfusion injury. METHODS: Male F344 rats were divided into 4 groups and underwent left lung isotransplantation. Twenty-four hours before harvest, 5 x 10E9 pfu (group I, n = 6) or 1 x 10E10 pfu (group II, n = 7) of AdRSVhIL-10 was intravenously administered to donor rats. In group I-C (n = 6) and group II-C (n = 6), serving as controls, 5 x 10E9 pfu and 1 x 10E10 pfu of AdCMVLacZ were administered, respectively. Grafts were preserved for 18 hours at 4 degrees C before implantation and assessed 24 hours after reperfusion. Transgene expression of human interleukin 10 was assessed by both reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry. Graft inducible nitric oxide synthase, tumor necrosis factor alpha, intercellular adhesion molecule-1, growth-regulated gene product/cytokine-induced neutrophil chemoattractant-1, and monocyte chemotactic protein-1 mRNA expression were assessed by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. Isograft gas exchange, exhaled nitric oxide, and myeloperoxidase activity were also analyzed. RESULTS: Dose-dependent transgene expression was detected by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry. Arterial PO (2) in groups I (164.72 +/- 85.3 mm Hg) and II (153.19 +/- 113 mm Hg) was significantly higher than in groups I-C (82.37 +/- 19.1 mm Hg) and II-C (77.95 +/- 33.4 mm Hg) (P =.022 and P =.031, respectively). Arterial PCO (2) in group I (33.40 +/- 6.80 mm Hg) was significantly lower than in group I-C (51.23 +/- 11.9 mm Hg) (P =.0096). Myeloperoxidase activity in group II (0.083 +/- 0.031 DeltaOD. min(-1). mg(-1)) was significantly lower than in group II-C (0.117 +/- 0.028 DeltaOD. min(-1). mg(-1)) (P =.044). The inducible nitric oxide synthase mRNA expression in group II (0.627 +/- 0.28) was significantly lower than in group II-C (1.125 +/- 0.63) (P =. 039). CONCLUSION: Adenovirus-mediated human interleukin 10 gene transfer in vivo into lung isografts ameliorates subsequent ischemia-reperfusion injury. This results in improved graft gas exchange, reduced neutrophil sequestration, and down-regulation of graft inducible nitric oxide synthase mRNA expression.

Partial liquid ventilation for acute allograft dysfunction after canine lung transplantation.

BACKGROUND: This study was designed to investigate the efficacy of partial liquid ventilation (PLV) on acute allograft dysfunction after lung transplantation. METHODS: The canine left lung allotransplantation model was used, with the graft preserved in 4 degrees C low-potassium dextran glucose solution for 18 hours. The control group (n = 6) had conventional mechanical ventilation, and the PLV group (n = 6) had perfluorooctylbromide instilled into the airway 30 minutes after reperfusion. For 360 minutes, allograft function and hemodynamics were evaluated. After the evaluation, myeloperoxidase activity of the graft tissue was assayed. RESULTS: All dogs survived for 360 minutes. In the PLV group, PaO2, shunt fraction, and alveolar to arterial gradient for O2 were significantly better than those in the control group after 120, 180, and 120 minutes, respectively (p < 0.05). After 240 minutes, peak airway pressure became significantly lower than that in the control group (p < 0.05). The PaO2 at 360 minutes was 102 +/- 55 mm Hg in the control group and 420 +/- 78 mm Hg in the PLV group (p < 0.0001), and the peak airway pressure was 21.4 +/- 4.1 mm Hg in the control group and 14.7 +/- 5.0 mm Hg in the PLV group (p < 0.05). Myeloperoxidase activity in the PLV group was lower than that in the control group. CONCLUSIONS: The study shows that PLV alleviated acute allograft dysfunction after lung transplantation.

Experimental study of partial liquid ventilation in the setting of acute respiratory failure induced by sea water lung lavage in rabbits.

To study the effect of partial liquid ventilation (PLV) with perfluorocarbon on acute respiratory failure, 3 groups of 17 rabbits were examined to compare. After acute respiratory failure was induced by lung lavage with sea water in 12 of the 17 rabbits, 7 of the 12 rabbits were treated with conventional mechanical ventilation (AC group) and 5 of the 12 rabbits were treated with PLV using perfluorocarbon (AP group). The remaining 5 normal rabbits without acute respiratory failure were treated with PLV with perfluorocarbon as a control group (PL group). In the PL group, PaO2, PaCO2, blood pH, pulmonary compliance or pathological findings were not so changed after PLV. In the AC and AP groups, PaCO2 significantly increased, and in contrast, PaO2 and pulmonary compliance significantly decreased after lung lavage. However, these findings improved to almost the same levels as those of a control group within 2 h after the PLV treatment in the AP group, but in the AC group, these gradually deteriorated over time. As for the pathological findings, pulmonary vascular congestion, alveolar hemorrhage and inflammatory infiltration were observed in the AC group. However, these findings were not observed in the specimens of the AP group. From these results, PLV with perfluorocarbon was shown to be useful to improve gas exchange and pulmonary functions without major side effects.

Difference in rates of the reaction of various mammalian oxyhemoglobins with phenylhydrazine.

Second order rate constants for the initial reaction of 12 mammalian oxyhemoglobins (Hb) with equimolar phenylhydrazine (PHZ), a compound inducing Heinz body hemolytic anemia, were determined by recording continuous changes in absorbance with time at 577 nm. The rate constants were varied in a range from 43 m-1.s-1 with pig Hb to 255 m-1.s-1 with dog Hb. On the other hand, isosbestic points at 526 and 587 nm were common to all the reaction processes. The aerobic reaction of Hb with PHZ resulted in denaturation of hemoprotein, and final reaction products were determined to be beta-meso-phenylbiliverdin IX alpha and N-phenylprotoporphyrin IX. These results suggest that the reactivity of PHZ to Hb is influenced by the globin molecule, and the oxidative cleavage of the porphyrin ring causes the denaturation of hemoprotein.

Bonding of nitrosobenzene and phenyl isocyanide to chelated mesoheme, hemoglobin and ferrous phthalocyanine.

Reactions of nitrosobenzene, phenyl isocyanide and their ring-substituted analogues with hemoglobin, ferrous phthalocyanine and a synthetic model compound of hemoglobin were investigated by optical, 1H-NMR and infrared spectroscopy. Complexes of chelated ferromesoheme, the model compound, with 2-methyl-, 2-ethyl, 2-isopropyl- or 2,6-disubstituted nitrosobenzene were less stable than its complex with nitrosobenzene. Formation of a complex of the model compound with 2-tert-butylnitrosobenzene was incomplete. Previous studies showed that 2,6-disubstituted nitrosobenzenes are not ligands of ferrohemoglobin. In the present work 2,6-dimethylphenyl isocyanide was found to be a ligand of ferrohemoglobin. These results are consistent with binding of the nitrogen of the nitroso group of nitrosobenzene and of the carbon of the isocyanide group of phenyl isocyanide to ferroheme. The same bonding modes of these ligands to ferrous phthalocyanine were inferred from ring-current-induced shifts in the 1H-NMR spectra of the respective complexes.

Radical intermediates in the oxidation of octaethylheme to octaethylverdoheme.

Iron(III) oxyoctaethylporphyrin was isolated and purified as a dimer. The addition of tosylmethyl isocyanide to a solution of the dimer produced a monomer species, which was isolated and identified as bis(tosylmethyl isocyanide)iron(II) 5-oxyoctaethylporphyrin pi-neutral radical. The product of dissociation of the dimer by imidazole was bis(imidazole)iron(III) 5-oxyoctaethylporphyrin. The spectral properties of the product of dissociation of the dimer by pyridine and published data on bis(pyridine)oxymesoheme and bis(pyridine)oxyprotoheme were consistent with its identification as bis(pyridine)iron(II) 5-oxyoctaethylporphyrin pi-neutral radical. When this product was exposed to oxygen, a weak radical signal appeared in its electron spin resonance spectrum, which was attributed to the displacement of one of its pyridine ligands by O2 to form (pyridine)(dioxygen)iron(II) 5-oxyoctaethylporphyrin pi-neutral radical. The pyridine oxygen radical converted spontaneously to octaethylverdohemochrome, which was purified and identified as bis-(tosylmethyl isocyanide)iron(II) octaethylverdohemochrome hydroxide. The yield of verdohemochrome from iron oxyporphyrin was increased by the addition of phenylhydrazine or ascorbate. A scheme for the oxidation of iron(III) oxyporphyrin to iron(II) verdoheme by O2 that proposes a mechanism for the expulsion of CO and the replacement of a methene bridge of the porphyrin ring by an oxa bridge is presented.

Formation of aryl and aryldiazenyl complexes in reactions of arylhydrazines and aryldiazenes with a synthetic model compound of haemoprotein.

The anaerobic reaction of chelated protohaemin, a synthetic model compound of ferrihaemoglobin, with phenyldiazene produced a compound with the visible-absorption spectrum of a ferrihaemochrome. The compound reacted with CN-, which is a ligand of both ferric and ferrous porphyrins, to produce the complex of the synthetic ferrihaemoglobin with CN-. Though the spectrum of the compound formed by the addition of phenyldiazene to chelated protohaemin is characteristic of a ferric porphyrin complex, this compound reacted with both toluene-p-sulphonylmethyl isocyanide and CO, which are strong ligands of ferrous porphyrins, to produce the corresponding ferrous complexes. These ligand-binding reactions indicated that the complex of chelated protohaem with phenyldiazene can behave either as a complex of a ferric porphyrin with phenyldiazenyl anion (C6H5N = N-) or a complex of a ferrous porphyrin with phenyldiazenyl radical (C6H5N = N.). Para substituents on phenyldiazene were without effect on the formation of 4-substituted phenyldiazenyl complexes with chelated protohaem. Ortho substituents resulted in less-stable complexes. The phenyl complex of chelated protohaem was prepared by the aerobic reaction of phenylhydrazine with chelated protohaemin, and its structure was confirmed by its n.m.r. spectrum. The ligand-binding properties, n.m.r. spectrum and absorption spectrum of this complex differed from those of the phenyldiazenyl complex. The phenyl complex also was produced when the phenyldiazenyl complex was exposed to O2.

Urinary excretion of isomers of biliverdin after destruction in vivo of haemoproteins and haemin.

The amount and isomeric composition of urinary biliverdin in rabbits were analysed by h.p.l.c. Physiological values were maintained after the injection of haemin. On the other hand, when haemoglobins from several mammalian species were injected into rabbits, the excretion of biliverdin-IX alpha and biliverdin-IX beta were increased 6-18-fold and 32-66-fold respectively over physiological excretion. Injection of myoglobin resulted in a 44-fold increase in excretion of the IX alpha-isomer. Coupled oxidation with ascorbate of haemoglobin and myoglobin by oxygen produced mainly the IX alpha- and IX beta-isomers from haemoglobin and the IX alpha-isomer from myoglobin. The destruction of part of the haem from injected haemoproteins by non-enzymic chemical degradation would account for the observed respective increases in the excretion of biliverdin isomers. The excretion of biliverdin isomers after the injection of phenylhydrazine into rabbits was similar to that after the injection of haemoglobin.

A two-molecule mechanism of haem degradation.

Coupled oxidation of octaethylhaemin and phenylhydrazine hydrochloride with 16,16O2 and 18,18O2 produced octaethyl[16O]verdohaemochrome and octaethyl[18O]-verdohaemochrome respectively. Reactions of these products with 16,16O2 in the presence of phenylhydrazine hydrochloride yielded octaethyl[16O, 16O]biliverdin and octaethyl[18O, 16O]biliverdin. The same reactions with 18,18O2 yielded octaethyl[16O, 18O]biliverdin and octaethyl[18O, 18O]biliverdin. Accordingly, the two oxygen atoms of biliverdin are incorporated from different O2 molecules in separate reactions, namely the formation of verdohaemochrome and the conversion of verdohaemochrome into biliverdin. These reactions account for a "two-molecule mechanism' of biliverdin formation from haem with verdohaemochrome participating as an intermediate product.

Mechanism of initial reaction of phenylhydrazine with oxyhemoglobin and effect of ring substitutions on the biomolecular rate constant of this reaction.

Phenylhydrazine in the presence of oxygen causes the oxidative denaturation of hemoglobin. The initial step in this process is a bimolecular reaction, probably a two-electron transfer from phenylhydrazine to oxyhemoglobin. The product of this reaction is neither methemoglobin nor deoxyhemoglobin. Superoxide dismutase and catalase eliminate side reactions that increase the apparent rate of this reaction as measured spectrophotometrically at 577 nm; scavengers for the hydroxyl radical and singlet oxygen do not affect this rate either in the presence or in the absence of these enzymes. Halogen atoms and alkyl groups decrease the rate when ortho and increase the rate when meta or para to the hydrazino group. Chlorine atoms at both ortho positions or the carboxylate group at the ortho or the para position block the reaction. In the presence of phenylhydrazine under air, methemoglobin is converted to the same complex as that produced when phenyldiazene is added to methemoglobin anaerobically. Under N2 or CO, phenylhydrazine reduces methemoglobin to deoxyhemoglobin or carbonmonoxyhemoglobin.

Verdohemochrome IX alpha: preparation and oxidoreductive cleavage to biliverdin IX alpha.

Several studies have shown that both terminal oxygen atoms of biliverdin are derived from molecular oxygen. Since the conversion of verdohemochrome to biliverdin has been assumed to be hydrolytic, these findings seemed to exclude verdohemochrome as an intermediate in the degradation of heme to biliverdin. Coupled oxidation of myoglobin and ascorbate yielded a pure preparation of verdohemochrome IX alpha. The structure and ferrous state of this product were determined from its composition, ligand reactions, 1H NMR spectrum, and conversion to biliverdin IX alpha dimethyl ester. Reaction with ascorbate and 18O2 converted this compound to biliverdin that contained an atom of 18O. Successive treatment of verdohemochrome, first oxidation with H2O2 and then reduction with phenylhydrazine, yielded the iron complex of biliverdin. These results showed that hydrolysis is not an obligatory step in the conversion of verdohemochrome to biliverdin and, moreover, indicated how heme can be converted, with verdohemochrome as an intermediate, into biliverdin in which the two terminal oxygen atoms are derived from different O2 molecules.

beta-meso-Phenylbiliverdin IX alpha and N-phenylprotoporphyrin IX, products of the reaction of phenylhydrazine with oxyhemoproteins.

Oxyhemoglobin and oxymyoglobin were allowed to react aerobically with phenylhydrazine and p-tolylhydrazine. The chloroform extract of each reaction mixture, after treatment with H2SO4/methanol, yielded a blue pigment and a green pigment, which were identified by electronic absorption, mass, and proton NMR spectroscopy as the dimethyl esters of beta-meso-arylbiliverdin IX alpha and N-arylprotoporphyrin IX, respectively. N-Phenylprotoporphyrin IX dimethyl ester formed complexes with Zn2+, Cd2+, and Hg2+ but not with other cations. The proton NMR spectrum of the zinc complex suggested binding of the phenyl group to one of the two pyrrole rings of protoporphyrin IX with a propionic acid substituent. The effectiveness of phenylhydrazine as an inducer of Heinz body formation may be due to destabilization of the hemoglobin molecule by the replacement of heme with phenyl adducts of biliverdin and protoporphyrin.

The reaction of halophenylhydrazines with oxygen in the presence of oxyhemoglobin and metal ions.

We have compared the rates of reaction of ortho and para substituted halophenylhydrazines with oxygen, and we have found that the reaction rates of these phenylhydrazines are accelerated by metal ions and oxyhemoglobin. Stimulation of the reaction rate by oxyhemoglobin was 20-times that by Fe3+ at the same concentration. In the presence of oxyhemoglobin, the initial decrease in the concentration of oxygen was followed by an increase. We propose that phenyldiazene produced from the oxidation of phenylhydrazine by oxyhemoglobin reduced oxygen to superoxide and caused the initial rapid decrease in oxygen concentration. The partial restoration of oxygen in the reaction mixture could be accounted for by the dismutation of superoxide to oxygen and hydrogen peroxide, and of hydrogen peroxide to oxygen and water.

Induction of Heinz body formation by sodium dithionite.

Incubation of normal erythrocytes with sodium dithionite resulted in the formation of Heinz bodies, but incubation with sodium metabisulfite did not. Addition f superoxide dismutase to the incubation medium increased the formation of Heinz bodies by sodium dithionite. Addition of catalase to suspensions of erythrocytes in the presence and absence of superoxide dismutase inhibited the formation of Heinz bodies. These findings indicate that hydrogen peroxide, not superoxide, is the active oxidant in Heinz body formation.

The initiation of fetal hemoglobin biosynthesis.

Biosynthesis of the alpha and beta chains of rabbit and human adult hemoglobin is initiated with a methionyl residue, which is removed during elongation of the peptide chain. To study the initiation of biosynthesis of the delta chain of human fetal hemoglobin, fresh placental blood was used for labeling experiments with radioactive amino acids. Labeled nascent peptide chains were purified from the polysomal fraction of placental blood reticulocytes. The number of amino acid residues in nascent gamma chain at the time of removal of its N-terminal methionine was estimated to be 40--60 from the relative yields of labeled tryptic peptides.