Potential role of cytokines in disseminated mycobacterial infections

Organisms belonging to theMycobacterium avium complex (MAC) are common pathogens in immunosuppressed and AIDS patients. This paper reviews the role of cytokines in the pathogenesis of MAC infection. MAC organisms mainly infect monocytes and macrophages, and the effect of HIV infection on susceptibility of macrophages to MAC infection is largely unknown. Both GM-CSF and tumour necrosis factor- can induce mycobacteriostatic/mycobactericidal activity in MAC-infected macrophages. The activity of interferon- on mycobacterial infection appears to be dependent on the type of macrophage: in murine peritoneal and human monocyte-derived macrophages, interferon- does not inhibit the intracellular growth of MAC, whereas in intestinal macrophages interferon- results in inhibition of MAC. Transforming growth factor-₁, interleukin-10 and interleukin-6 have all been shown to counteract the immunoactivating cytokines and MAC survival may be due to induction of these inhibitory cytokines within the macrophage. GM-CSF has been given to patients with disseminated MAC infection. Isolated macrophages from these patients demonstrated increased superoxide anion production and enhanced mycobacteriostatic/cidal activity compared with macrophages isolated from the same patients before GM-CSF treatment. These results suggest that GM-CSF may have potential in the treatment of MAC infection.     

Response to stimulation with recombinant cytokines and synthesis of cytokines by murine intestinal macrophages infected with the Mycobacterium avium complex.

Current evidence suggests that the gut is the chief portal of entry for organisms of the Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) in AIDS patients. Bacterial invasion of intestinal mucosa presumably occurs through epithelial cells, and M cells in the Peyer's patches, where the bacteria have contact with immunocompetent cells such as macrophages and T and B lymphocytes. As mucosal macrophages are probably the first line of defense against MAC, we examined their ability to inhibit intracellular growth of MAC when properly stimulated. Mouse intestinal macrophages were purified, infected with MAC 101, serovar 1, and MAC 86-2686, serovar 16, and subsequently stimulated with recombinant tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), gamma interferon (IFN-gamma), granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), or macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF). Viable intracellular bacteria were quantitated at 24 h after infection and again after 4 days of infection. Stimulation with TNF-alpha, IFN-gamma, and GM-CSF, but not M-CSF, was associated with mycobacteriostatic and/or mycobactericidal activity in macrophages. Treatment with 10(3) U of TNF-alpha, GM-CSF, and IFN-gamma per ml at 24 h prior to infection with MAC resulted in a significant enhancement in killing of MAC at 4 days after infection, compared with that observed for macrophages exposed to cytokines after infection. When stimulated with lipopolysaccharide or live MAC, intestinal macrophages had produced significantly less TNF-alpha and transforming growth factor beta than had splenic and peritoneal macrophages, although the levels of production of interleukin 6 and interleukin 10 among the three populations of cells were similar. Intestinal macrophages can be stimulated with cytokines to inhibit the intracellular growth of MAC, but they have differentiated abilities to produce cytokines which can modulate the anti-MAC immune response.     

Temporal dynamics of the cellular,humoral and cytokine responses in chickens during primary and secondary infection with Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium

Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) infections cause systemic disease in the young chick, whereas in the older chicken the infection is mainly restricted to the intestine. Chickens infected orally with S. Typhimurium (F98) at 6 weeks of age and re-infected 10 weeks later were monitored for antibody production, T-cell proliferation and production of selected cytokines (interferon-γ, interleukin-1β and transforming growth factor-β₄). A strong coordinated antigen-specific humoral and cellular immune response was temporally linked to resolution of the primary infection. Enhanced levels of mRNA encoding the cytokines, interleukin-1β, transforming growth factor-β₄ and interferon-γ were also evident during early phases of primary infection. Secondary infection was restricted to the intestine and of shorter duration than primary infection. Splenic immune responses were not further enhanced by secondary infection; indeed, antigen-specific proliferation was significantly reduced at 1 day after secondary infection, which may be interpreted as the trafficking of reactive T cells from the spleen to the gut.     

Cytokine-dependent regulation of growth and maturation in murine epidermal dendritic cell lines

We have recently established dendritic cell (DC) lines (XS series) from the epidermis of newborn mice by repeated feeding with granulocyte/macrophage-colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and culture supernatants from skin-derived stromal cell lines (NS series). XS lines resemble resident Langerhans cell (LC), which are immature DC that reside in epidermis, by their surface phenotype and antigen-presenting profile. XS lines further resemble resident LC in that they express mRNA for interleukin-1β and macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)-1α, and by the absence of mRNA for IL-6. Their growth is promoted by GM-CSF, colony-stimulating factor-1 (CSF-1), or NS culture supernatant, and inhibited by interferon-γ or tumor necrosis factor-α. The expression by the XS lines of la molecules is up-regulated by GM-CSF, and down-regulated by NS supernatant. These results suggest the existence of negative regulatory mechanisms in which the growth and/or maturation of DC is suppressed by selected cytokines.     

Cytokine modulation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis growth in human macrophages

This study was concerned with the handling of ingested tubercle bacilli by normal human macrophages. Intracellular growth was determined after exposure of macrophages to viable bacilli in vitro and the effect of various cytokines, alone or in combination, on bacilli growth/survival was determined. It was found that Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb) grew quite readily in untreated cultured human macrophages. Treatment with soluble factors showed that a crude lymphokine containing supernatant elicited with Concanavalin A (Con A) was ineffective at reducing growth of M.tb in vitro; similarly a crude lymphokine preparation from M.tb lysate-stimulated mononuclear cells failed to induce any mycobacteriostatic activity in human monocyte-derived macrophages. Recombinant cytokines were then evaluated for their ability to modulate growth of the tubercle bacilli in human macrophages. Recombinant interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), interleukin-2 (IL-2) and recombinant interleukin 4 (IL-4) were all ineffective at modifying M. tuberculosis growth in human macrophages. Recombinant tumour necrosis-alpha (TNF-alpha) curbed the growth of the bacilli in human macrophages in a reproducible fashion. No cytokine combination was more efficient than TNF-alpha alone. These studies thus highlight the resistance of virulent mycobacteria against different mechanisms of cytokine-induced macrophage bactericidal activity.     

Growth inhibition of Mycobacterium avium complex in human alveolar macrophages by the combination of recombinant macrophage colony-stimulating factor and interferon-gamma

The reservoir of Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) during human infection is the mononuclear phagocyte. In these studies, the ability of certain macrophage-active cytokines to affect MAC growth in human alveolar macrophages was evaluated. Neither recombinant interferon-gamma (2 x 10(2) to 10(3) U/well of 5 x 10(5) cells) nor recombinant macrophage colony-stimulating factor (20 to 50 ng/well), when tested alone, exhibited a consistent ability to induce macrophage targets to inhibit the growth of a clinical strain of MAC serovar 4. However, the combination of these cytokines (1 to 50 ng macrophage colony-stimulating factor + 10(3) U interferon per well) was remarkably effective in diminishing replication of MAC in all experiments. These cytokines were also able to induce alveolar macrophages to restrict MAC growth even though cells were obtained from several individuals with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) or from normal donors and infected in vitro with the human immunodeficiency virus type 1. The effect of this cytokine combination was not abrogated by 10(4) neutralizing U/ml of anti-tumor necrosis factor-alpha antibody. Rather, the combination of interferon-gamma and macrophage colony-stimulating factor appeared to activate intrinsic macrophage mechanisms for restricting MAC growth and deserves further study to determine the potential value of this cytokine combination in the treatment of human infection.     

IL-15 and GM-CSF stimulated macrophages enhances phagocytic activity in ENU induced leukemic mice

Murine splenic macrophage plays a decisive role in host immunity through phagocytosis against pathogens. It was reported that, macrophages also involves in phagocytosis of some tumour cells upon its activation initiated by certain cytokines produced by other immune cell or by indigenously treated. In this study, we have investigated the killing of leukemic blast cells by macrophages upon stimulated with IL-15 and GM-CSF alone or in combination in ENU challenged leukemic murine model. Along with, the release of TNF-α, IL-12 and IFN-γ by macrophages were assayed by ELISA. NO production by macrophages was also investigated. The molecular expressions like GM-CSF and TLRs were investigated for better understand of macrophage-leukemic cell interaction. Result shows that in disease condition macrophages have poor phagocytic activities which may be due to less release of TNF-α, IL-12 and IFN-γ by macrophages. This impaired phagocytic activity in leukemic mice was increase upon stimulation with IL-15 and GM-CSF.     

Pre-exposure of murine macrophages to lipopolysaccharide inhibits the induction of nitric oxide synthase and reduces leishmanicidal activity

Murine macrophages produce nitric oxide (NO) from L-arginine on stimulation with lipopolysaccharide (LPS), alone or with interferon-γ (IFN-γ). The effect of incubation of macrophages with low concentrations of LPS on NO synthesis on subsequent stimulation was investigated, using a murine macrophage cell line, J774, and peritoneal macrophages from CBA mice. Cells which had been incubated with LPS produced significantly lower amounts of NO, and expressed lower levels of NO synthase activity, following stimulation with IFN-γ and LPS, or with a high concentration of LPS. This effect was not reversed by tumor necrosis factor-α. The ability of CBA macrophages to kill the intracellular parasite Leishmania major was markedly reduced by pre-incubation with LPS. Reduced NO production by macrophages previously exposed to LPS is a manifestation of endotoxin tolerance, and may represent an important means of regulation of NO synthesis and thus a survival mechanism for intracellular parasites.     

Interferon-γ-inducing factor enhances T helper 1 cytokine production by stimulated human T cells: synergism with interleukin-12 for interferon-γ production

The novel cytokine interferon-γ-inducing factor (IGIF) augments natural killer (NK) cell activity in cultures of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), similarly to the structurally unrelated cytokine interleukin (IL)-12. IGIF has been found to enhance the production of interferon-γ (IFN-γ) and granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) while inhibiting the production of IL-10 in concanavalin A (Con A)-stimulated PBMC. In this study, when anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody (mAb)-stimulated human enriched T cells were exposed to IGIF, the cytokine dose-dependently enhanced the proliferation of the cells and this could be completely inhibited by a neutralizing antibody against IL-2 at lower concentrations of IGIF. Neutralizing antibody against IFN-γ had only insignificant inhibitory effects on T cell proliferation at higher concentrations of IGIF. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) revealed that, like PBMC, T cells exposed to IGIF produced large amounts of IFN-γ; however, changes in the production of IL-4 and IL-10 were minimal. IGIF, but not IL-12, significantly enhanced IL-2 and GM-CSF production in T cell cultures, as determined by CTLL-2 bioassay and ELISA, respectively; however, both IGIF and IL-12 enhanced IFN-γ production by the T cells. When T cells were exposed to a combination of IGIF and IL-12, a synergistic effect was observed on the production of IFN-γ, but not on production of IL-2 and GM-CSF. In conclusion, IGIF enhances T cell proliferation apparently through an IL-2-dependent pathway and enhances Th1 cytokine production in vitro and exhibits synergism when combined with IL-12 in terms of enhanced IFN-γ production but not IL-2 and GM-CSF production. Based on structural and functional differences from any known cytokines, it was recently proposed that this cytokine be designated interleukin-18.     

Defective phagocytosis by human monocyte/macrophages following HIV-1 infection: underlying mechanisms and modulation by adjunctive cytokine therapy.

Defective immunological function of cells of the macrophage lineage contributes considerably to the pathogenesis of HIV-1 infection. Impairment of phagocytosis of opportunistic pathogens such as Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC), Pneumocystis carinii, Toxoplasma gondii or Candida albicans by peripheral blood monocytes, tissue macrophages and monocyte-derived macrophages following in vivo and in vitro HIV-1 infection is well documented. The development of opportunistic infections due to these pathogens in HIV-infected individuals at late stages of disease is attributed to defective monocyte/macrophage function. The mechanisms whereby HIV-1 impairs phagocytosis are not well known. A number of phagocytic receptors normally mediate engulfment of specific opportunistic pathogens by cells of macrophage lineage; distinct mechanisms are triggered by pathogen-receptor binding to promote cytoskeletal rearrangements and engulfment. This review focuses on the signalling events occurring during Fcgamma receptor- and complement receptor-mediated phagocytosis, and considers the mechanisms by which HIV-1 inhibits those signalling events. Since macrophage function is enhanced by cytokines such as granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), the use of these immunomodulators is of potential interest as adjunctive immunotherapy in immunosuppressed individuals. In this review we present examples of clinical applications of GM-CSF and IFN-gamma therapy for the treatment of opportunistic infections in HIV-infected individuals receiving antiretroviral drugs.     

Tumor necrosis factor and granulocyte macrophage-colony stimulating factor stimulate human macrophages to restrict growth of virulent Mycobacterium avium and to kill avirulent M. avium: killing effector mechanism depends on the generation of reactive nitrogen intermediates

An avirulent and a virulent strain of Mycobacterium avium were selected on the basis of their growth patterns in human monocyte-derived macrophages. The virulent 7497 M. avium grew progressively in untreated macrophages, whereas the avirulent LR/149 M. avium was killed to a moderate extent by untreated human macrophages (50% of the original infectious inoculum killed 7 days after infection). We set out to investigate the possibility of modulating these growth patterns by cytokine treatment. Application of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) (100 U/ml) led to macrophages restricting significantly the growth of virulent M. avium 7497 (tenfold decrease at 7 days). TNF was also effective at modulating positively the interaction between avirulent LR/149 M. avium and macrophages inasmuch as TNF-treated cells killed 99% of infecting mycobacteria at 7 days. Granulocyte macrophage-colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) (100-10,000 U/ml) treatment led to macrophages being as mycobacteriostatic for virulent 7497 M. avium as TNF-alpha-treated cells (i.e., tenfold reduction in growth). Treatment of macrophages with both GM-CSF and TNF-alpha was shown to have additive effects on bacteriostatic activity on M. avium. The mechanism of killing of avirulent M. avium by TNF-alpha was shown to be dependent on the generation of reactive nitrogen intermediates, as seen by inhibition of effector mechanisms by NG-monomethyl-arginine and arginase. Moreover, there was a correlation between NO2- generation and mycobactericidal activity of macrophages. Addition of superoxide dismutase reversed the killing of avirulent M. avium by untreated or TNF-treated macrophages. This abrogation was also apparent in chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) macrophages, which were inefficient at generating reactive oxygen intermediates. Moreover, macrophages from CGD patients killed avirulent M. avium as efficiently as cells from normal individuals. We conclude from these results that 1) GM-CSF and TNF-alpha, alone or in combination, increase effector functions of macrophages against virulent and avirulent strains of M. avium; 2) reactive nitrogen intermediates seem to be involved in this effector mechanism; and 3) superoxide dismutase protected M. avium against macrophage effector function, seemingly by protecting the bacteria against endogenous superoxide anion. The implications of these findings for host resistance to atypical mycobacteria are discussed.     

Recombinant granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) or tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) activate human alveolar macrophages to inhibit growth of Mycobacterium avium complex.

We investigated the effects of certain macrophage-active cytokines on the phagocytosis and growth inhibition of Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) by human alveolar macrophages (AM). We also evaluated the effects of pretreatment with each cytokine on the superoxide anion release (O2-) from AM. The cytokines that we used were recombinant GM-CSF, natural type TNF-alpha, recombinant interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), and recombinant IL-2. We found that phagocytosis by the various cytokine-stimulated AM was similar to that of unstimulated AM. On the other hand, significant growth inhibition of MAC was observed in the macrophages treated with GM-CSF or TNF-alpha, while no growth inhibition of MAC was observed in the macrophages treated with IFN-gamma or IL-2. Pretreatment with all cytokines tested enhanced the O2- release from AM, but there was no correlation between the enhancement of O2- release and the growth inhibition of MAC. Thus, we concluded that GM-CSF or TNF-alpha could activate AM to inhibit growth of MAC, probably not through the enhanced production of reactive oxygen intermediates.     

Elevated Serum Levels of IL-10 and IFN-γ in Patients with Acute Plasmodium falciparum Malaria

Serum levels of interleukin-10 (IL-10) and interferon-γ (IFN-γ) were determined in 37 patients with acute Plasmodium falciparum malaria in Bangkok, Thailand. Serum levels of IL-10 and IFN-γ were markedly elevated in patients with malaria prior to treatment (717 ± 260 pg/ml versus 2.2 ± 1.3 pg/ml in healthy controls; 123 ± 71 pg/ml versus 29 ± 9 pg/ml, respectively; mean ± SD). Serum levels of IFN-γ and IL-10 dropped significantly during treatment and were normal 14 and 21 days, respectively, after treatment was started. Prior to therapy a correlation between serum levels of IFN-γ and IL-10 existed (r = 0.563). These results suggest that stimulatory and inhibitory cytokines for macrophage activation and/or antibody production (i.e., TH1- and TH2-type immunoreaction, respectively) are coexpressed during acute P. falciparum infection and stress the multifactorial network between host and parasite in malaria immunology.     

骨质疏松与一氧化氮

一氧化氮 (ｎｉｔｒｉｃｏｘｉｄｅ ,ＮＯ)极易透过生物膜 ,是细胞间、细胞内的信使分子 ,其扩散速度、穿透细胞膜的能力、内在不稳定性等特征极为显著。由于其合成易于调节 ,作为高级生物体调节的有效信号在循环、呼吸、消化及内分泌代谢等系统中发挥着重要影响。近年来发现ＮＯ及其一氧化氮合酶 (ｎｉｔｒｉｃｏｘ ｉｄｅｓｙｎｔｈａｓｅ ,ＮＯＳ)在参与和促进骨质疏松症 (ｏｓｔｅｏ ｐｏｒｏｓｉｓ ,ＯＰ)病理生理过程中也占有举足轻重的作用。1　ＮＯ、ＮＯＳ合成与代谢通过免疫组化及更灵敏的逆转录酶聚合酶链反应 (ＲＴ -ＰＣＲ) ,…     

Identification of cytokines which enhance (CSF-1, IL-3) or restrict (IFN-gamma) growth of intramacrophage Listeria monocytogenes

Murine peritoneal macrophages were isolated by adherence and their listericidal activity assessed in the presence or absence of selected cytokines. Untreated macrophages were not highly listericidal, showing moderate killing in the first 2 h after infection, and allowed progressive microbial growth thereafter (up to 9 h). Pre-treatment of cells with 10 to 100 U/ml of IFN-gamma allowed macrophages to develop sustained listericidal activity for the 9-h observation period, with a 2-log reduction of Listeria CFU per monolayer. Pulsing of cells with TNF-alpha alone did not result in enhanced microbicidal activity but TNF-alpha potentiated IFN-gamma-induced listericidal activity, resulting in high levels of killing when both cytokines were present. Conversely, macrophages pre-treated with interleukin-3 (IL-3) or colony-stimulating factor-1 (CSF-1) were found to be much more permissive for Listeria growth. Neither IL-3 nor CSF-1 abrogated IFN-gamma-induced listericidal activity. Moreover, neither IL-3 nor CSF-1 had any effect on the ability of macrophages to develop a respiratory burst following Listeria infection, as judged by H2O2 release following in vitro infection. Overall, these results suggest that different cytokines may have opposing effects on intracellular microbial growth, and that the balance of cytokine production in vivo may determine the resistance or susceptibility of the infected host.     

Cucurbita moschata Duch. and its active component, β-carotene effectively promote the immune responses through the activation of splenocytes and macrophages

Cucurbita moschata Duch. has long been used for traditional health food in many countries. However, to enhance the immune system of Cucurbita moschata Duch. and its major component, β-carotene is not clear. Here, we determined the immune enhancement effect of Cucurbita moschata Duch. and β-carotene in mouse splenocytes and RAW 264.7 macrophage cell line. We prepared baked Cucurbita moschata Duch. (Sweetme Sweet Pumpkin^TM, SSP) and steamed Cucurbita moschata Duch. (SC). Splenocytes isolated from the spleen of BALB/c mice were treated with SSP, SC, and β-carotene for 24?h. RAW 264.7 cells were stimulated with recombinant interferon-γ (rIFN-γ) for 6?h before treatment with SSP, SC, or β-carotene. SSP, SC and β-carotene significantly up-regulated the proliferation of splenocyte and mRNA expression of KI-67. The levels of interleukin-2 and IFN-γ were up-regulated by SSP, SC, or β-carotene in the splenocytes. SC and β-carotene also increased the levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in the splenocytes. In addition, SSP, SC, or β-carotene significantly increased the levels of TNF-α through the nuclear translocation of the nuclear factor-κB and phosphorylation of IκBα in the rIFN-γ-primed RAW 264.7 cells. These data indicate that Cucurbita moschata Duch. and β-carotene may have an immune-enhancing effect through the production of Th1 cytokines by activation of splenocytes and macrophages.