CpG-DNA derived from sera in systemic lupus erythematosus enhances ICAM-1 expression on endothelial cells

OBJECTIVE—To examine the effect of transfection of oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs) containing a CpG motif (CpG-ODN), of which the sequence was derived from circulating DNA in the sera of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), on the expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and synthesis of mRNA for proinflammatory cytokines and ICAM-1 in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (EC).
METHODS—A CpG-ODN or a control analogue, GpC-ODN, was transfected into EC. ICAM-1 expression was examined by flow cytometry, and expression of mRNA in EC encoding interleukin 1 (IL1), IL6, IL8, tumour necrosis factor α (TNFα), interferon γ (IFNγ), and ICAM-1 was examined by semiquantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction.
RESULTS—The CpG-ODN augmented the expression of ICAM-1 on EC determined by flow cytometry and increased mRNA levels of IL6, IL8, TNFα, IFNγ, and ICAM-1, but the GpC-ODN did not.
CONCLUSION—Synthesised DNA, with a sequence corresponding to that of the fragment containing the CpG motif, in sera of patients with SLE was found to enhance ICAM-1 expression on EC, suggesting the participation of circulating DNA fragments in the pathogenesis of vasculitis in SLE.


Marked Improvement with Sildenafil in a Patient with Idiopathic Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Unresponsive to Beraprost and Sarpogrelate

We report a 16-year-old man with severe heart failure due to idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH). The patient was initially treated with a combination of beraprost, a prostacyclin analog, and sarpogrelate, a serotonin receptor inhibitor. However, he was unresponsive to the treatment. We then changed the treatment to sildenafil, and his condition dramatically improved. Sildenafil has an immediate pulmonary vasodilator effect in patients already receiving vasodilators for IPAH