Vascular adhesion molecule-1 and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 expression on rat liver cells after lipopolysaccharide administration in vivo

During sepsis the infiltration of leukocytes plays a pivotal role in tissue damage. Induction of septic shock results in an early accumulation of polymorphonuclear leukocytes in the liver (after 3 hours), which is followed by an infiltration of mononuclear phagocytes (after 30 hours). Expression of adhesion molecules may contribute to the migration of leukocytes to the site of inflammation. Therefore, in the present study we determined the expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and vascular adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) on hepatocytes, liver endothelial cells, and Kupffer cells after lipopolysaccharide (LPS) treatment of rats in vivo. Parenchymal cells showed no constitutive expression of VCAM-1 and the expression could not be upregulated by LPS treatment in vivo, whereas Kupffer and endothelial cells had a low basal expression of VCAM-1 and this expression was increased 40-fold by LPS treatment in vivo. All three cell types showed a basal expression of ICAM-1 and the expression on endothelial liver cells of untreated rats was two times higher than the expression on parenchymal and Kupffer cells. Stimulation with LPS increased the expression of ICAM-1 2.5 times for parenchymal cells and approximately 4 times for endothelial and Kupffer cells. It is concluded that the expression of adhesion molecules may contribute to the influx of leukocytes during septic shock and, therefore, play a role in tissue damage during septic shock

The influence of cytokines on the integrity of the blood-brain barrier in vitro

The effects of the cytokines tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-6 on the permeability of monolayers of rat cerebral endothelial cells (RCEC) were investigated to assess potential changes in the integrity of the blood-brain barrier (BBB). RCEC were cultured to tight monolayers with a trans endothelial electrical resistance (TEER) of 100-150 Ω · cm2 on polycarbonate filters. Exposure of the RCEC to TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 induced a decline in the TEER, which could be completely abolished by 1 μM of indomethacin, a cyclooxygenase inhibitor. In addition, the effect of IL-1β on TEER across monolayers of RCEC could be completely inhibited by IL-1 receptor antagonist. In conclusion, cytokines induce a disruption of the BBB in vitro. In this process, cyclooxygenase activation within the endothelial cells seems to play a key role

Host Transcription Profiles upon Primary Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection▿ †

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a common cause of severe lower respiratory tract infection in children. Severe RSV disease is related to an inappropriate immune response to RSV resulting in enhanced lung pathology which is influenced by host genetic factors. To gain insight into the early pathways of the pathogenesis of and immune response to RSV infection, we determined the transcription profiles of lungs and lymph nodes on days 1 and 3 after infection of mice. Primary RSV infection resulted in a rapid but transient innate, proinflammatory response, as exemplified by the induction of a large number of type I interferon-regulated genes and chemokine genes, genes involved in inflammation, and genes involved in antigen processing. Interestingly, this response is much stronger on day 1 than on day 3 after infection, indicating that the strong transcriptional response in the lung precedes the peak of viral replication. Surprisingly, the set of down-regulated genes was small and none of these genes displayed strong down-regulation. Responses in the lung-draining lymph nodes were much less prominent than lung responses and are suggestive of NK cell activation. Our data indicate that at time points prior to the peak of viral replication and influx of inflammatory cells, the local lung response, measured at the transcriptional level, has already dampened down. The processes and pathways induced shortly after RSV infection can now be used for the selection of candidate genes for human genetic studies of children with severe RSV infection