Tumor necrosis factor-alpha contributes to ischemia- and reperfusion-induced endothelial activation in isolated hearts. (17/5011)

-During myocardial reperfusion, polymorphonuclear neutrophil (PMN) adhesion involving the intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) may lead to aggravation and prolongation of reperfusion injury. We studied the role of early tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) cleavage and nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) activation on ICAM-1 expression and venular adhesion of PMN in isolated hearts after ischemia (15 minutes) and reperfusion (30 to 480 minutes). NF-kappaB activation (electromobility shift assay) was found after 30 minutes of reperfusion and up to 240 minutes. ICAM-1 mRNA, assessed by Northern blot, increased during the same interval. Functional effect of newly synthesized adhesion molecules was found by quantification (in situ fluorescence microscopy) of PMN, given as bolus after ischemia, which became adherent to small coronary venules (10 to 50 microm in diameter). After 480 minutes of reperfusion, ICAM-1-dependent PMN adhesion increased 2.5-fold compared with PMN adhesion obtained during acute reperfusion. To study the influence of NF-kappaB on PMN adhesion, we inhibited NF-kappaB activation by transfection of NF-kappaB decoy oligonucleotides into isolated hearts using HJV-liposomes. Decoy NF-kappaB but not control oligonucleotides blocked ICAM-1 upregulation and inhibited the subacute increase in PMN adhesion. Similar effects were obtained using BB 1101 (10 microg), an inhibitor of TNF-alpha cleavage enzyme. These data suggest that ischemia and reperfusion in isolated hearts cause liberation of TNF-alpha, activation of NF-kappaB, and upregulation of ICAM-1, an adhesion molecule involved in inflammatory response after ischemia and reperfusion.  (+info)

Thrombolysis with tissue plasminogen activator alters adhesion molecule expression in the ischemic rat brain. (18/5011)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: We tested the hypothesis that treatment of embolic stroke with recombinant human tissue plasminogen activator (rhtPA) alters cerebral expression of adhesion molecules. METHODS: Male Wistar rats were subjected to middle cerebral artery occlusion by a single fibrin-rich clot. P-selectin, E-selectin, and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) immunoreactivity was measured at 6 or 24 hours after embolic stroke in control rats and in rats treated with rhtPA at 1 or 4 hours after stroke. To examine the therapeutic efficacy of combined rhtPA and anti-ICAM-1 antibody treatment at 4 hours after embolization, ischemic lesion volumes were measured in rats treated with rhtPA alone, rats treated with rhtPA and anti-ICAM-1 antibody, and nontreated rats. RESULTS: Administration of rhtPA at 1 hour after embolization resulted in a significant reduction of adhesion molecule vascular immunoreactivity after embolization in the ipsilateral hemisphere compared with corresponding control rats. However, when rhtPA was administered to rats at 4 hours after embolization, significant increases of adhesion molecule immunoreactivity in the ipsilateral hemisphere were detected. A significant increase of ICAM-1 immunoreactivity was also detected in the contralateral hemisphere at 24 hours after ischemia. A significant reduction in lesion volume was found in rats treated with the combination of rhtPA and anti-ICAM-1 antibody compared with rats treated only with rhtPA. CONCLUSIONS: The present study suggests that the time of initiation of thrombolytic therapy alters vascular immunoreactivity of inflammatory adhesion molecules in the ischemic brain and that therapeutic benefit can be obtained by combining rhtPA and anti-ICAM-1 antibody treatment 4 hours after stroke.  (+info)

In vivo significance of ICAM-1--dependent leukocyte adhesion in early corneal angiogenesis. (19/5011)

PURPOSE: Numerous investigations have stressed the significance of leukocytes in early angiogenesis. Leukocytes invade the cornea, and the location of their extravasation corresponds to the site of vessel ingrowth. The interactions between leukocytes and vascular endothelium are mediated by various proteins, including adhesion molecules such as intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1). In this study, the role of ICAM-1 during early corneal angiogenesis was evaluated in vivo. METHODS: Corneal neovascularization was induced in New Zealand White rabbits by use of intrastromal pellets containing 750 ng vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). The fluorescent dye rhodamine 6G was used to stain leukocytes in vivo. Leukocyte adhesion and vessel growth were quantified in vivo by high-resolution fluorescence angiography. To inhibit ICAM-1 interactions a microemulsion containing anti-ICAM-1 antibody was applied topically. RESULTS: Limbal vessels showed increased leukocyte adhesion 24 hours after pellet implantation: The number of rolling and sticking leukocytes was significantly increased compared with the number in control animals (P < 0.01). Treatment with anti-ICAM-1 antibody resulted in reduced leukocyte sticking and increased leukocyte rolling. The area covered by new blood vessels was significantly diminished in eyes treated with anti-ICAM-1 (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The results support the hypothesis that ICAM-1-mediated leukocyte adhesion is a key event in early angiogenesis. This model may serve for investigation of the significance of adhesion molecules by in vivo observation and quantification.  (+info)

Adventitial delivery minimizes the proinflammatory effects of adenoviral vectors. (20/5011)

PURPOSE: Adenovirus-mediated arterial gene transfer is a promising tool in the study of vascular biology and the development of vascular gene therapy. However, intraluminal delivery of adenoviral vectors causes vascular inflammation and neointimal formation. Whether these complications could be avoided and gene transfer efficiency maintained by means of delivering adenoviral vectors via the adventitia was studied. METHODS: Replication-defective adenoviral vectors encoding a beta-galactosidase (beta-gal) gene (AdRSVnLacZ) or without a recombinant gene (AdNull) were infused into the lumen or the adventitia of rabbit carotid arteries. Two days after infusion of either AdRSVnLacZ (n = 8 adventitial, n = 8 luminal) or AdNull (n = 4 luminal), recombinant gene expression was quantitated by histochemistry (performed on tissue sections) and with a beta-gal activity assay (performed on vessel extracts). Inflammation caused by adenovirus infusion was assessed 14 days after infusion of either AdNull (n = 6) or vehicle (n = 6) into the carotid adventitia. Inflammation was assessed by means of examination of histologic sections for the presence of neointimal formation and infiltrating T cells and for the expression of markers of vascular cell activation (ICAM-1 and VCAM-1). To measure the systemic immune response to adventitial infusion of adenovirus, plasma samples (n = 3) were drawn 14 days after infusion of AdNull and assayed for neutralizing antibodies. RESULTS: Two days after luminal infusion of AdRSVnLacZ, approximately 30% of luminal endothelial cells expressed beta-gal. Similarly, 2 days after infusion of AdRSVnLacZ to the adventitia, approximately 30% of adventitial cells expressed beta-gal. beta-gal expression was present in the carotid adventitia, the internal jugular vein adventitia, and the vagus nerve perineurium. Elevated beta-gal activity (50- to 80-fold more than background; P <.05) was detected in extracts made from all AdRSVnLacZ-transduced arteries. The amount of recombinant protein expression per vessel did not differ significantly between vessels transduced via the adventitia (17.1 mU/mg total protein [range, 8.1 to 71.5]) and those transduced via a luminal approach (10.0 mU/mg total protein [range, 3.9 to 42.6]). Notably, adventitial delivery of AdNull did not cause neointimal formation. In addition, vascular inflammation in arteries transduced via the adventitia (ie, T-cell infiltrates and ICAM-1 expression) was confined to the adventitia, sparing both the intima and media. Antiadenoviral neutralizing antibodies were present in all rabbits after adventitial delivery of AdNull. CONCLUSION: Infusion of adenoviral vectors into the carotid artery adventitia achieves recombinant gene expression at a level equivalent to that achieved by means of intraluminal vector infusion. Because adventitial gene transfer can be performed by means of direct application during open surgical procedures, this technically simple procedure may be more clinically applicable than intraluminal delivery. Moreover, despite the generation of a systemic immune response, adventitial infusion had no detectable pathologic effects on the vascular intima or media. For these reasons, adventitial gene delivery may be a particularly useful experimental and clinical tool.  (+info)

Morphine preconditioning attenuates neutrophil activation in rat models of myocardial infarction. (21/5011)

Previous results from our laboratory have suggested that morphine can attenuate neutrophil activation in patients with acute myocardial infarction. To elucidate if morphine preconditioning (PC) has the same effects via activation of neutrophil endopeptidase 24.11 (NEP), we measured serum levels of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), gp100MEL14 and NEP in adult Wistar rats subjected to ten different protocols (n = 10 for each) at baseline, immediately after and 2 h after morphine PC. All groups were subjected to 30 min of occlusion and 2 h of reperfusion. Similarly, morphine-induced PC was elicited by 3-min drug infusions (100 micrograms/kg) interspersed with 5-min drug-free periods before the prolonged 30-min occlusion. Infarct size (IS), as a percentage of the area at risk (AAR), was determined by triphenyltetrazolium staining. Pretreatment with morphine increased NEP activities (9.86 +/- 1.98 vs. 5.12 +/- 1.10 nmol/mg protein in control group; p < 0.001). Naloxone (mu-opioid receptor antagonist) (4.82 +/- 1.02 nmol/mg protein) and phosphoramidon (NEP inhibitor) (4.66 +/- 1.00 nmol/mg protein) inhibited morphine-activated NEP, whereas glibenclamide (ATP-sensitive potassium channel antagonist) and chelerythrine (protein kinase C inhibitor) had no effects. The ICAM-1 and gp100MEL14 of the third sampling were lowest for those with morphine PC (280 +/- 30 ng/ml and 2.2 +/- 0.7 micrograms/ml; p < 0.001), but naloxone (372 +/- 38 ng/ml and 3.8 +/- 0.9 micrograms/ml) and phosphoramidon (382 +/- 40 ng/ml and 4.2 +/- 1.1 micrograms/ml) abolished the above phenomenon. IS/AAR were definitely lowest for those with morphine PC (24 +/- 7%; p < 0.05). Morphine preconditioning increases NEP activities to attenuate shedding of gp100MEL14 and to ICAM-1 and, thus, provides myocardial protection.  (+info)

Serum levels of thrombomodulin, intercellular adhesion molecule-1, vascular cell adhesion molecule-1, and E-selectin in the acute phase of Plasmodium vivax malaria. (22/5011)

Elevated plasma or serum levels of thrombomodulin (TM), intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), and E-selectin have been reported in several diseases. However, plasma or serum levels of TM, ICAM-1, VCAM-1, and E-selectin have not been investigated in the acute phase of Plasmodium vivax malaria. Serum TM, ICAM-1, VCAM-1, E-selectin, and creatinine levels were determined in six Japanese patients in the acute phase of vivax malaria and in seven healthy Japanese controls. Parasitemias of the peripheral blood were < 0.1% in five patients and 0.8% in one patient. The patients' mean +/- SD serum levels of TM, ICAM-1, VCAM-1, and E-selectin were 5.7 +/- 1.3 Fujirebio units/ml, 709 +/- 397 ng/ml, 2,112 +/- 782 ng/ml, and 99 +/- 28 ng/ml, respectively, and all were significantly greater than those in the controls (TM; P < 0.005, ICAM-1; P < 0.025, VCAM-1; P < 0.005, E-selectin; P < 0.025). However, no significant difference was identified between patients and controls for serum creatinine values. The serum levels of TM and VCAM-1 were not related to parasitemia. The elevation of serum TM levels suggests that endothelial cell damage occurs in the acute phase of vivax malaria.  (+info)

The EBV transforming protein, latent membrane protein 1, mimics and cooperates with CD40 signaling in B lymphocytes. (23/5011)

Latent membrane protein 1 (LMP1) is required for EBV-induced immortalization of human B cells, and expression of the protein in the absence of other viral proteins leads to an activated phenotype in B cells. It has been well documented that LMP1 causes B cells to up-regulate adhesion molecules, such as LFA-1 and ICAM-1, and coactivation molecules, such as B7-1 and CD23, as well as to activate NF-kappaB. Ligation of the endogenous B cell CD40 molecule also induces these and other activated phenotypic changes. Here, we report that expression of LMP1 also activates B cells to secrete Ig and IL-6 and rescues them from B cell receptor-mediated growth arrest analogous to CD40 signaling. Furthermore, an HLA-A2LMP1 chimeric construct demonstrates that the oligomerization of the carboxyl-terminal 200 amino acids of LMP1 is sufficient for B cell signaling. Finally, we demonstrate that LMP1 and CD40 signaling pathways interact cooperatively in inducing B cell effector functions.  (+info)

Requirement for nuclear factor-kappaB activation by a distinct subset of CD40-mediated effector functions in B lymphocytes. (24/5011)

CD40 stimulation, which is crucial for generating an effective T-dependent humoral response, leads to the activation of transcription factors NF-AT (nuclear factor of activated T cells), AP-1 (activator protein-1), and NF-kappaB (nuclear factor-kappaB). However, which CD40-mediated B cell functions actually require activation of specific transcription factors is unknown. We examined the causal relationship between NF-kappaB activation and CD40 effector functions by evaluating CD40 functions in the presence of an inducible mutant inhibitory kappaBalpha (IkappaBalpha) superrepressor. IkappaBalphaAA inhibited nuclear translocation of multiple NF-kappaB dimers without the complicating effect of depriving cells of NF-kappaB during development. This approach complements studies that use mice genetically deficient in single or multiple NF-kappaB subunits. Interestingly, only a subset of CD40 effector functions was found to require NF-kappaB activation. Both CD40-induced Ab secretion and B7-1 up-regulation were completely abrogated by expression of IkappaBalphaAA. Surprisingly, up-regulation of Fas, CD23, and ICAM-1 was partially independent, and up-regulation of LFA-1 was completely independent, of CD40-induced NF-kappaB activation. For the first time, it is clear that distinct transcription factors are required for the dynamic regulation of CD40 functions.  (+info)