Anti-IL-8 autoantibody:IL-8 immune complexes suppress spontaneous apoptosis of neutrophils

Our previous studies demonstrated that a significant fraction of interleukin-8 (IL-8) in lung fluids from patients with acute lung injury (ALI) and the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is associated with anti-IL-8 autoantibodies (anti-IL-8:IL-8 immune complexes). Neutrophils have been implicated in the pathogenesis of ALI/ARDS, and moreover, it is well-established that apoptosis of neutrophils is delayed in patients with ALI/ARDS. The aim of this study was, therefore, to examine the role of anti-IL-8:IL-8 immune complexes in modulating spontaneous apoptosis of normal human neutrophils. Apoptosis was assessed by evaluating morphological changes, measuring enzymatic activity of caspase-3, and determining the extent of DNA degradation. We found that samples containing anti-IL-8:IL-8 immune complexes but not samples from which these complexes were removed inhibited neutrophil apoptosis. Furthermore, the former samples or effectively anti-IL-8:IL-8 complexes induced an increase in the level of antiapoptotic protein, Bcl-X(L). In contrast, levels of proapoptotic proteins Bax and Bak were decreased in the same conditions. Activity of both caspase-3 and caspase-9 was also suppressed by anti-IL-8:IL-8 complex-containing samples. Finally, we established that IgG receptor, FcgammaRIIa, mediates antiapoptotic activity of anti-IL-8:IL-8 complexes and that the key components of the FcgammaRIIa signaling pathway, Src, Syk, PI3 kinase, and ERK, may be involved in regulation of neutrophil apoptosis by the complexes. These studies demonstrate for the first time that anti-IL-8:IL-8 immune complexes have the ability to prolong neutrophil life.     

Milk fat globule-epidermal growth factor-factor 8 attenuates neutrophil infiltration in acute lung injury via modulation of CXCR2

Excessive neutrophil infiltration to the lungs is a hallmark of acute lung injury (ALI). Milk fat globule epidermal growth factor-factor 8 (MFG-E8) was originally identified for phagocytosis of apoptotic cells. Subsequent studies revealed its diverse cellular functions. However, whether MFG-E8 can regulate neutrophil function to alleviate inflammation is unknown. We therefore aimed to reveal MFG-E8 roles in regulating lung neutrophil infiltration during ALI. To induce ALI, C57BL/6J wild-type (WT) and Mfge8(-/-) mice were intratracheally injected with LPS (5 mg/kg). Lung tissue damage was assessed by histology, and the neutrophils were counted by a hemacytometer. Apoptotic cells in lungs were determined by TUNEL, whereas caspase-3 and myeloperoxidase activities were assessed spectrophotometrically. CXCR2 and G protein-coupled receptor kinase 2 expressions in neutrophils were measured by flow cytometry. Following LPS challenge, Mfge8(-/-) mice exhibited extensive lung damage due to exaggerated infiltration of neutrophils and production of TNF-α, MIP-2, and myeloperoxidase. An increased number of apoptotic cells was trapped into the lungs of Mfge8(-/-) mice compared with WT mice, which may be due to insufficient phagocytosis of apoptotic cells or increased occurrence of apoptosis through the activation of caspase-3. In vitro studies using MIP-2-mediated chemotaxis revealed higher migration of neutrophils of Mfge8(-/-) mice than those of WT mice via increased surface exposures to CXCR2. Administration of recombinant murine MFG-E8 reduces neutrophil migration through upregulation of GRK2 and downregulation of surface CXCR2 expression. Conversely, these effects could be blocked by anti-α(v) integrin Abs. These studies clearly indicate the importance of MFG-E8 in ameliorating neutrophil infiltration and suggest MFG-E8 as a novel therapeutic potential for ALI.     

Involvement of phosphoinositide 3-kinases in neutrophil activation and the development of acute lung injury.

Activated neutrophils contribute to the development and severity of acute lung injury (ALI). Phosphoinositide 3-kinases (PI3-K) and the downstream serine/threonine kinase Akt/protein kinase B have a central role in modulating neutrophil function, including respiratory burst, chemotaxis, and apoptosis. In the present study, we found that exposure of neutrophils to endotoxin resulted in phosphorylation of Akt, activation of NF-kappaB, and expression of the proinflammatory cytokines IL-1beta and TNF-alpha through PI3-K-dependent pathways. In vivo, endotoxin administration to mice resulted in activation of PI3-K and Akt in neutrophils that accumulated in the lungs. The severity of endotoxemia-induced ALI was significantly diminished in mice lacking the p110gamma catalytic subunit of PI3-K. In PI3-Kgamma(-/-) mice, lung edema, neutrophil recruitment, nuclear translocation of NF-kappaB, and pulmonary levels of IL-1beta and TNF-alpha were significantly lower after endotoxemia as compared with PI3-Kgamma(+/+) controls. Among neutrophils that did accumulate in the lungs of the PI3-Kgamma(-/-) mice after endotoxin administration, activation of NF-kappaB and expression of proinflammatory cytokines was diminished compared with levels present in lung neutrophils from PI3-Kgamma(+/+) mice. These results show that PI3-K, and particularly PI3-Kgamma, occupies a central position in regulating endotoxin-induced neutrophil activation, including that involved in ALI.     

RGD- and MLD-disintegrins, jarastatin and EC3, activate integrin-mediated signaling modulating the human neutrophils chemotaxis, apoptosis and IL-8 gene expression

The effects of jarastatin (JT), a monomeric RGD-disintegrin, were compared with those of the heterodimeric MLD-disintegrin, EC3, on human neutrophil activation and functions. Both disintegrins inhibited neutrophil chemotaxis induced by fMet-Leu-Phe and were also potent chemotactic agents. These effects were accompanied by an increase in actin polymerization, and both were inhibited by genistein, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor. While JT, but not other RGD-disintegrins, inhibited EC3-induced chemotaxis, EC3 was not able to inhibit JT effect. The chemotactic effect of JT was blocked by anti-alpha(M) antibody whereas anti-alpha(9)beta(1) inhibited EC3 effect. Both JT and EC3 induced focal adhesion kinase (FAK) and phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) activation. Accordingly, LY294002, a PI3K inhibitor, impaired their chemotactic effect on neutrophils. JT induced Erk-2 translocation to nucleus and a delay of the spontaneous apoptosis of neutrophils in vitro. In contrast, EC3 inhibited Erk-2 activation and had a proapoptotic effect. These effects were reverted by PD98059, an MEK 1/2 inhibitor and blocked by z-VAD-FMK, a caspase inhibitor. In addition, JT, but not EC3, increased the IL-8 mRNA levels in neutrophils. The data indicate that JT and EC3 directly activate an integrin-coupled signaling and modulate the MAPK pathway in different ways, leading the neutrophils to express different functional response.     

Down-regulation of IL-8 expression in human airway epithelial cells through helper-dependent adenoviral-mediated RNA interference

Interleukin (IL)-8 is a potent neutrophil chemotactic factor and a crucial mediator in neutrophil-dependent inflammation.Various cell types produce IL-8, either in response to external stimuli such as cytokines or bacterial infection, or after malignant transformation. Anti-IL-8 strategies have been considered for anti-inflammatory therapy. In this paper we demonstrate that the RNA interference technique can be used to efficiently down-regulate IL-8 protein expression in airway epithelial cells. We used a helper-dependent adenoviral vector to express a small hairpin (sh)RNA targeting human IL-8 in cultured airway epithelial cells (IB3-1, Cftr; C38, Cftr-corrected) stimulated with TNF-α, IL-1β or heat-inactivated Burkholderia cenocepacia. Stimulated IL-8 expression in IB3-1 and C38 cells was significantly reduced by shRNA expression. The shRNA targeting IL-8 had no effect on the activation of NF-κB, or on the protein levels of IκB or IL-6, suggesting that this anti-IL-8 strategy was highly specific, and therefore may offer potential for the treatment of inflammatory diseases.     

Study of chemotactic activity developed by neutrophils from rheumatoid arthritis patients

Neutrophils are the predominant cells accumulated in the synovial fluid (SF) of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. Accumulation of neutrophils may be regarded as a possible way by which neutrophils exert cytotoxic functions. The aim of the present study was to analyze the chemotactic response of neutrophils (PMNs) isolated from the peripheral blood or SF of patients with RA by performing the chemotaxis assay, in which N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (FMLP) was used as chemotactic agent. Our results showed that FMLP induced response of peripheral blood neutrophils from 12 patients with RA was similar with the response of 15 healthy controls. A decreased chemotactic response to FMLP was, however, observed in PMNs isolated from the SF of RA patients as comlipared with peripheral blood cells. Therefore, this defective chemotactic ability of neutrophil, was inversely correlated with the number of infiltrating cells in SF. These results indicate that chemotactic ability of neutrophils may be reduced after migration to the SF. Because PMNs chemotaxis in vivo has likely occurred in the presence of serum or SF, we tried to simulate the same conditions in vitro. Therefore, we analyzed the effect of serum or SF on the RA-PMNs chemotaxis. Heat-inactivated serum produced a marked reduction of chemotactic activity developed by PMNs isolated from patients with RA. Notably, a significant increase of chemotactic activity was observed when FMLP and serum stimuli were used together, as compared with the same stimuli used alone. The results suggested that complement activation might interfere with neutrophils chemotaxis. SF amplifies the chemotactic activity of PMNs isolated from peripheral blood of RA patients, but does not affect the chemotaxis developed by PMNs isolated from SF. The data might suggest that several components of SF (IL-8, leukotrien B4, thrombin, platelet-activating factor, etc.) could serve as a potent stimulus for recruitment of neutrophils from periphery into the RA joint. In conclusion, serum or SF components seem to contribute to chemotaxis of neutrophils and play a role in differential killing of PMNs and incidence of infection.     

IL-4 increases surfactant and regulates metabolism in vivo

Lung lavage fluid of patients with acute lung injury (ALI) has increased levels of interleukin-1 (IL-1) and neutrophils, but their relationship to the lung leak that characterizes these patients is unclear. To address this concern, we investigated the role of the neutrophil agonist platelet-activating factor [1-O-alkyl-2-acetyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (PAF)] in the development of the acute neutrophil-dependent lung leak that is induced by giving IL-1 intratracheally to rats. We found that PAF acetyltransferase and PAF activities increased in lungs of rats given IL-1 intratracheally compared with lungs of sham-treated rats given saline intratracheally. The participation of PAF in the development of lung leak and lung neutrophil accumulation after IL-1 administration was suggested when treatment with WEB-2086, a commonly used PAF-receptor antagonist, decreased lung leak, lung myeloperoxidase activity, and lung lavage fluid neutrophil increases in rats given IL-1 intratracheally. Additionally, neutrophils recovered from the lung lavage fluid of rats given IL-1 intratracheally reduced more nitro blue tetrazolium (NBT) in vitro than neutrophils recovered from control rats or rats that had been given WEB-2086 and then IL-1. Histological examination indicated that the endothelial cell-neutrophil interfaces of cerium chloride-stained lung sections of rats given IL-1 contained increased cerium perhydroxide (the reaction product of cerium chloride with hydrogen peroxide) compared with lungs of control rats or rats treated with WEB-2086 and then given IL-1 intratracheally. These in vivo findings were supported by parallel findings showing that WEB-2086 treatment decreased neutrophil adhesion to IL-1-treated cultured endothelial cells in vitro. We concluded that PAF contributes to neutrophil recruitment and neutrophil activation in lungs of rats given IL-1 intratracheally.     

A Microfluidic Platform for Evaluating Neutrophil Chemotaxis Induced by Sputum from COPD Patients

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a common lung disease characterized by breathing difficulty as a consequence of narrowed airways. Previous studies have shown that COPD is correlated with neutrophil infiltration into the airways through chemotactic migration. However, whether neutrophil chemotaxis can be used to characterize and diagnose COPD is not well established. In the present study, we developed a microfluidic platform for evaluating neutrophil chemotaxis to sputum samples from COPD patients. Our results show increased neutrophil chemotaxis to COPD sputum compared to control sputum from healthy individuals. The level of COPD sputum induced neutrophil chemotaxis was correlated with the patient’s spirometry data. The cell morphology of neutrophils in a COPD sputum gradient is similar to the morphology displayed by neutrophils exposed to an IL-8 gradient, but not a fMLP gradient. In competing gradients of COPD sputum and fMLP, neutrophils chemotaxis and cell morphology are dominated by fMLP.     

IL-8 released constitutively by primary bronchial epithelial cells in culture forms an inactive complex with secretory component

The bronchial epithelium is a source of both alpha and beta chemokines and, uniquely, of secretory component (SC), the extracellular ligand-binding domain of the polymeric IgA receptor. Ig superfamily relatives of SC, such as IgG and alpha(2)-macroglobulin, bind IL-8. Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that SC binds IL-8, modifying its activity as a neutrophil chemoattractant. Primary bronchial epithelial cells were cultured under conditions to optimize SC synthesis. The chemokines IL-8, epithelial neutrophil-activating peptide-78, growth-related oncogene alpha, and RANTES were released constitutively by epithelial cells from both normal and asthmatic donors and detected in high m.w. complexes with SC. There were no qualitative differences in the production of SC-chemokine complexes by epithelial cells from normal or asthmatic donors, and in all cases this was the only form of chemokine detected. SC contains 15% N-linked carbohydrate, and complete deglycosylation with peptide N-glycosidase F abolished IL-8 binding. In micro-Boyden chamber assays, no IL-8-dependent neutrophil chemotactic responses to epithelial culture supernatants could be demonstrated. SC dose-dependently (IC(50) approximately 0.3 nM) inhibited the neutrophil chemotactic response to rIL-8 (10 nM) in micro-Boyden chamber assays and also inhibited IL-8-mediated neutrophil transendothelial migration. SC inhibited the binding of IL-8 to nonspecific binding sites on polycarbonate filters and endothelial cell monolayers, and therefore the formation of haptotactic gradients, without effects on IL-8 binding to specific receptors on neutrophils. The data indicate that in the airways IL-8 may be solubilized and inactivated by binding to SC.     

The effects and comparative differences of neutrophil specific chemokines on neutrophil chemotaxis of the neonate

Neutrophil specific chemokines are potent chemoattractants for neutrophils. IL-8/CXCL8 is the most extensively studied member of this group, and its concentrations increase during inflammatory conditions of the newborn infant including sepsis and chronic lung disease. A significant amount of information exists on the effects of IL-8/CXCL8 on neutrophil chemotaxis of neonates, but little is known about the other neutrophil specific chemokines. The aim of this study was to determine the relative potency of the neutrophil specific chemokines on chemotaxis of neonatal neutrophils and to compare this effect with the effect on adult neutrophils. Neutrophils were isolated from cord blood or healthy adult donors and incubated in a Neuroprobe chemotaxis chamber. Chemokine concentrations ranging from 1-1000 ng/mL were used. Differences in chemotactic potency existed among the seven neutrophil specific chemokines. Specifically, at 100 ng/mL, the order was IL-8/CXCL8>GRO-alpha/CXCL1>GCP-2/CXCL6>NAP-2/CXCL7>ENA-78/CXCL5>GRO-gamma/CXCL2>GRO-beta/CXCL3. This pattern was observed for adult and neonatal neutrophils. We conclude that (1) neutrophils from cord blood exhibit the same pattern of potency for each ELR chemokine as neutrophils from adults, and (2) migration of neonatal neutrophils is significantly less than that of adults at every concentration examined except the lowest (1 ng/mL).     

Angiopoietin-1 but not angiopoietin-2 promotes neutrophil viability: Role of interleukin-8 and platelet-activating factor

We previously reported the expression of angiopoietin receptor Tie2 on human neutrophils. Both angiopoietins (Ang1 and Ang2) induce platelet activating factor (PAF) synthesis from endothelial cells (ECs) and neutrophils. Both angiopoietins can also modulate EC viability and since PAF can promote pro-survival activity on neutrophils, we addressed whether Ang1 and/or Ang2 could modulate neutrophil viability. Neutrophils were isolated from venous blood of healthy volunteers and neutrophil viability was assessed by flow cytometry using apoptotic and necrotic markers (annexin-V and propidium iodide (P.I.), respectively). Basal neutrophil viability from 0 to 24 h post-isolation decreased from 98% to ≈45%. Treatment with anti-apoptotic mediators such as interleukin-8 (IL-8; 25 nM) and PAF (100 nM) increased neutrophil basal viability by 34 and 26% (raising it from 43 to 58 and 55%) respectively. Treatment with Ang1 (0.001-50 nM) increased neutrophil viability by up to 41%, while Ang2 had no significant effect. Combination of IL-8 (25 nM) or PAF (100 nM) with Ang1 (10 nM) further increased neutrophil viability by 56 and 60% respectively. We also observed that Ang1, but not Ang2 can promote IL-8 release and that a pretreatment of the neutrophils with blocking anti-IL-8 antibodies inhibited the anti-apoptotic effect of IL-8 and Ang1 by 92 and 81% respectively. Pretreatment with a selective PAF receptor antagonist (BN 52021), did abrogate PAF pro-survival activity, without affecting Ang1-induced neutrophil viability. Our data are the first ones to report Ang1 pro-survival activity on neutrophils, which is mainly driven through IL-8 release.     

Characterization of a receptor for human monocyte-derived neutrophil chemotactic factor/interleukin-8

Monocyte-derived neutrophil chemotactic factor/interleukin-8 (MDNCF/IL-8) is an 8,000-dalton protein produced by monocytes which exhibits activity as a chemoattractant for neutrophils with maximal activity achieved at a concentration of 50 ng/ml. This polypeptide has been iodinated by chloramine-T methodology (350 Ci/mM), and specific receptors for MDNCF/IL-8 have been detected on human neutrophils, U937 cells, THP-1 cells, and dimethyl sulfoxide-differentiated HL-60 cells. The binding of MDNCF/IL-8 to human neutrophils is not inhibited by interleukin-1 alpha, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, insulin, or epidermal growth factor. In addition, chemoattractants such as C5a, fMet-Leu-Phe, leukotriene B4, and platelet-activating factor fail to inhibit binding, suggesting that MDNCF/IL-8 utilizes a unique receptor. The receptor for MDNCF/IL-8 is apparently glycosylated since ligand binding is inhibited by the presence of wheat germ agglutinin, a lectin with a binding specificity for N-acetylglucosamine and neuraminic acid. Steady state binding experiments indicate Kd values of 4 and 0.5 nM and receptor numbers of 75,000 and 7,400 for human neutrophils and differentiated HL-60 cells, respectively. 125I-MDNCF/IL-8 bound to human neutrophils is rapidly internalized and subsequently released from cells as trichloroacetic acid-soluble radioactivity. Affinity labeling experiments suggest that the human neutrophil MDNCF/IL-8 receptor exhibits a mass of approximately 58,000 daltons.     

Activity of pulmonary edema fluid interleukin-8 bound to alpha(2)-macroglobulin in patients with acute lung injury

The formation of alpha(2)-macroglobulin (alpha(2)-M)/interleukin-8 (IL-8) complexes may influence the biological activity of IL-8 and the quantitative assessment of IL-8 activity. Therefore, in this study, concentrations of free IL-8 and IL-8 complexes with alpha(2)-M were measured in pulmonary edema fluid samples from patients with acute lung injury/acute respiratory distress syndrome (ALI/ARDS) and compared with control patients with hydrostatic pulmonary edema. Patients with ALI/ARDS had significantly higher concentrations of alpha(2)-M (P < 0.01) as well as alpha(2)-M/IL-8 complexes (P < 0.05). Because a substantial amount of IL-8 is complexed to alpha(2)-M, standard assays of free IL-8 may significantly underestimate the concentration of biologically active IL-8 in the distal air spaces of patients with ALI/ARDS. Furthermore, IL-8 bound to alpha(2)-M retained its biological activity, and this fraction of IL-8 was protected from proteolytic degradation. Thus complex formation may modulate the acute inflammatory process in the lung.     

Inhibition of human neutrophil IL-8 production by hydrogen peroxide and dysregulation in chronic granulomatous disease

The innate immune response to bacterial infections includes neutrophil chemotaxis and activation, but regulation of inflammation is less well understood. Formyl peptides, byproducts of bacterial metabolism as well as mitochondrial protein biosynthesis, induce neutrophil chemotaxis, the generation of reactive oxygen intermediates (ROI), and the production of the neutrophil chemoattractant, IL-8. Patients with chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) exhibit deficient generation of ROI and hydrogen peroxide and susceptibility to bacterial and fungal pathogens, with associated dysregulated inflammation and widespread granuloma formation. We show in this study that in CGD cells, fMLF induces a 2- to 4-fold increase in IL-8 production and a sustained IL-8 mRNA response compared with normal neutrophils. Moreover, normal neutrophils treated with catalase (H(2)O(2) scavenger) or diphenyleneiodonium chloride (NADPH oxidase inhibitor) exhibit IL-8 responses comparable to those of CGD neutrophils. Addition of hydrogen peroxide or an H(2)O(2)-generating system suppresses the sustained IL-8 mRNA and increased protein production observed in CGD neutrophils. These results indicate that effectors downstream of the activation of NADPH oxidase negatively regulate IL-8 mRNA in normal neutrophils, and their absence in CGD cells results in prolonged IL-8 mRNA elevation and enhanced IL-8 levels. ROI may play a critical role in regulating inflammation through this mechanism.     

Synergy between IL-8 and GM-CSF in reproductive tract epithelial cell secretions promotes enhanced neutrophil chemotaxis

Neutrophils occur in tissues of the female reproductive tract (FRT) under non-infected conditions. These cells generally enter tissues under the influence of chemoattractants called chemokines. Primary epithelial cells (EC) from FRT were a potent source of chemokines, IL-8 being the chief neutrophil chemoattractant secreted. Blocking with neutralizing anti-IL-8 showed that IL-8 did not account for all of the chemoattraction observed. A mixture of 25 ng/mL rIL-8 and 1 ng/mL rGM-CSF mediated 2.7-fold more chemotaxis than that expected if the two agents were additive. We then found that GM-CSF was produced by EC in amounts that synergised strongly with IL-8 to enhance chemotaxis. Treatment of uterine EC conditioned medium with saturating doses of anti-IL-8 plus anti-GM-CSF antibodies produced an 84% inhibition of chemotaxis. These findings demonstrate that the majority of neutrophil chemoattractant activity produced by FRT EC results from the synergistic effects of IL-8 and GM-CSF.     

Distinct severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-induced acute lung injury pathways in two different nonhuman primate species

Acute lung injury (ALI) and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), caused by influenza A virus H5N1 and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV), supposedly depend on activation of the oxidative-stress machinery that is coupled with innate immunity, resulting in a strong proinflammatory host response. Inflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin 1β (IL-1β), IL-8, and IL-6, play a major role in mediating and amplifying ALI/ARDS by stimulating chemotaxis and activation of neutrophils. To obtain further insight into the pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-associated ALI, we compared SARS-CoV infections in two different nonhuman primate species, cynomolgus macaques and African green monkeys. Viral titers in the upper and lower respiratory tract were not significantly different in SARS-CoV-infected macaques and African green monkeys. Inflammatory cytokines that play a major role in mediating and amplifying ALI/ARDS or have neutrophil chemoattractant activity, such as IL-6, IL-8, CXCL1, and CXCL2, were, however, induced only in macaques. In contrast, other proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines, including osteopontin and CCL3, were upregulated in the lungs of African green monkeys to a significantly greater extent than in macaques. Because African green monkeys developed more severe ALI than macaques, with hyaline membrane formation, some of these differentially expressed proinflammatory genes may be critically involved in development of the observed pathological changes. Induction of distinct proinflammatory genes after SARS-CoV infection in different nonhuman primate species needs to be taken into account when analyzing outcomes of intervention strategies in these species.     

Regulation of hepatocyte growth factor secretion by fibroblasts in patients with acute lung injury

The mechanisms of pulmonary repair in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and acute lung injury (ALI) are poorly known. Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and keratinocyte growth factor (KGF) are key factors involved in alveolar epithelial repair, present in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) from patients with ALI/ARDS. The role of BALF mediators in their production remains to be determined. We evaluated the overall effect of BALF from 52 patients (27 ventilated patients with ALI/ARDS, 10 ventilated patients without ALI, and 15 nonventilated control patients) on HGF and KGF synthesis by lung fibroblasts. Fibroblasts were cultured in the presence of BALF. HGF and KGF protein secretion was measured using ELISA, and mRNA expression was evaluated using quantitative real-time RT-PCR. Only BALF from ALI/ARDS patients upregulated both HGF and KGF mRNA expression and protein synthesis (+271 and +146% for HGF and KGF, respectively). BALF-induced HGF synthesis from ALI/ARDS patients was higher than that from ventilated patients without ALI (P < 0.05). HGF secretion was correlated with BALF IL-1beta levels (rho = 0.62, P < 0.001) and BALF IL-1beta/IL-1 receptor antagonist ratio (rho = 0.54, P < 0.007) in the ALI/ARDS group. An anti-IL-1beta antibody partially (>50%) inhibited the BALF-induced HGF and PGE(2) secretion, whereas NS-398, a specific cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitor, completely inhibited it. Anti-IL-1beta antibodies as well as NS-398 reversed the COX-2 upregulation induced by BALF. Therefore, IL-1beta is a main BALF mediator involved in HGF secretion, which is mediated through a PGE(2)/COX-2-dependent mechanism. BALF mediators may participate in vivo in the production of HGF and KGF by lung fibroblasts during ALI/ARDS.     

Neutrophil migration across monolayers of cytokine-prestimulated endothelial cells: a role for platelet-activating factor and IL-8

In a previous study we observed that neutrophils respond with a rapid rise in [Ca2+]i during adherence to cytokine-activated endothelial cells (EC), caused by EC membrane-associated platelet-activating factor (PAF). In the present study, we investigated whether this form of PAF was important in neutrophil adherence and migration across monolayers of rIL-1 beta- or rTNF alpha-prestimulated EC. PAF receptor antagonists prevented neutrophil migration across cytokine-pretreated EC by approximately 60% (P less than 0.005) without interfering with the process of adherence. The antagonists WEB 2086 and L-652,731 had no effect on neutrophil migration across resting EC induced by formylmethionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (FMLP). A murine anti-IL-8 antiserum was found to also partially inhibit the neutrophil transmigration across cytokine-activated EC. When the anti-IL-8 antiserum was used in combination with a PAF receptor antagonist, neutrophil migration across cytokine-pretreated monolayers of EC was completely prevented. During transmigration, LAM-1 and CD44 on the neutrophils were down-modulated; both WEB 2086 and anti-IL-8 antiserum partially prevented this down-modulation caused by cytokine-prestimulated EC. Our results indicate that human neutrophils are activated and guided by EC-associated PAF and EC-derived IL-8 during the in vitro diapedesis in between cytokine-stimulated EC.     

Synovial tissue macrophage as a source of the chemotactic cytokine IL-8

Cells of the synovial microenvironment may recruit neutrophils (PMN) and lymphocytes into synovial fluid, as well as lymphocytes into the synovial tissues, of arthritic patients. We have investigated the production of the chemotactic cytokine IL-8 by using sera, synovial fluid, synovial tissue, and macrophages and fibroblasts isolated from synovial tissues from 75 arthritic patients. IL-8 levels were higher in synovial fluid from rheumatoid (RA) patients (mean +/- SE, 14.37 +/- 5.8 ng/ml), compared with synovial fluid from osteoarthritis patients (0.135 +/- 17 ng/ml) (p less than 0.05) or from patients with other arthritides (5.52 +/- 5.11 ng/ml). IL-8 from RA sera was 8.44 +/- 2.33 ng/ml, compared with nondetectable levels found in normal sera. IL-8 levels from RA sera and synovial fluid were strongly positively correlated (r = 0.96, p less than 0.05). Moreover, RA synovial fluid chemotactic activity for PMN in these fluids was inhibited 40 +/- 5% upon incubation with neutralizing polyclonal antibody to IL-8. Synovial tissue fibroblasts released only small amounts of constitutive IL-8 but could be induced to produce IL-8 by stimulation with either IL-1 beta, TNF-alpha, or LPS. In contrast, unlike normal PBMC or alveolar macrophages, macrophages isolated from RA synovial tissue constitutively expressed both IL-8 mRNA and antigenic IL-8. RA synovial macrophage IL-8 expression was not augmented by incubation with either LPS, TNF-alpha, or IL-1 beta. Immunohistochemical analysis of synovial tissue showed that a greater percentage of RA macrophages than osteoarthritis macrophages reacted with anti-IL-8. Whereas macrophages were the predominant cell for immunolocalization of IL-8, less than 5% of synovial tissue fibroblasts were positive for immunolocalized IL-8. These results suggest that macrophage-derived IL-8 may play an important role in the recruitment of PMN in synovial inflammation associated with RA.