Characterization of matrix metalloproteinases produced by rat alveolar macrophages.

Evidence presented in the accompanying article (Gibbs, D. F., T. P. Shanley, R. L. Warner, H. S. Murphy, J. Varani, and K. J. Johnson. 1999. Role of matrix metalloproteinases in models of macrophage-dependent acute lung injury: evidence for alveolar macrophage as source of proteinases. Am. J. Respir. Cell Mol. Biol. 20:1145-1154) implicates alveolar macrophage matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) in two models of acute lung inflammation in the rat. As a prerequisite to understanding which specific MMPs might be involved in the injury and how they might function, it was necessary to know the spectrum of enzymes present. To this end, alveolar macrophages were obtained from normal rat lungs by bronchoalveolar lavage, placed in culture with and without various agonists, and assessed by a variety of techniques for MMPs. The identification process involved characterization by gelatin, beta-casein, and kappa-elastin zymography, with confirmation of identity by Western blot/immunoprecipitation. Message levels of detected MMPs were assessed by Northern blot. Rat alveolar macrophages were found to produce a low constitutive level of MMP-2 (72-kD gelatinase A) that was only modestly upregulated following stimulation with phorbol myristate acetate, bacterial lipopolysaccharide, or immunoglobulin A-containing immune complexes. Although control cells were found to produce little or no MMP-9 (92-kD gelatinase B) or MMP-12 (metalloelastase), both enzymes were markedly upregulated upon stimulation. In the same stimulated macrophages there was little activity against type I collagen (associated with MMP-13 [collagenase-3] on the basis of Western blotting), no activity suggestive of stromelysin or matrilysin, and no measurable secretion of the serine proteinases, elastase and cathepsin G. These data demonstrate the ability of rat alveolar macrophages to elaborate certain MMPs under proinflammatory conditions, consistent with their possible involvement in the progression of acute inflammation.     

Role of stromelysin 1 and gelatinase B in experimental acute lung injury

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are upregulated locally in sites of inflammation, including the lung. Several MMP activities are upregulated in acute lung injury models but the exact role that these MMPs play in the development of the lung injury is unclear due to the absence of specific inhibitors. To determine the involvement of individual MMPs in the development of lung injury, mice genetically deficient in gelatinase B (MMP-9) and stromelysin 1 (MMP-3) were acutely injured with immunoglobulin G immune complexes and the intensity of the lung injury was compared with genetically identical wild-type (WT) mice with normal MMP activities. In the WT mice there was upregulation of gelatinase B and stromelysin 1 in the injured lungs which, as expected, was absent in the genetically deficient gelatinase B- and stromelysin 1-deficient mice, respectively. In the deficient mice there was little in the way of compensatory upregulation of other MMPs. The gelatinase B- and the stromelysin 1-deficient mice had less severe lung injury than did the WT controls, suggesting that both MMPs are involved in the pathogenesis of the lung injury. Further, the mechanism of their involvement in the lung injury appears to be different, with the stromelysin 1-deficient mice having a reduction in the numbers of neutrophils recruited into the lung whereas the gelatinase B-deficient mice had the same numbers of lung neutrophils as did the injured WT controls. These studies indicate, first, that both gelatinase B and stromelysin 1 are involved in the development of experimental acute lung injury, and second, that the mechanisms by which these individual MMPs function appear to differ.     

Macrophage production of basic fibroblast growth factor in the fibroproliferative disorder of alveolar fibrosis after lung injury.

In organ repair following injury, macrophages accumulate and granulation tissue, comprised of fibroblasts and endothelial cells, develops in the injured area. Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), a potent stimulator of fibroblast and endothelial cell growth, has been linked to the fibroproliferative process. Macrophages are thought to play a central role in the fibroproliferative response, and prior studies indicate that they produce bFGF. Whereas it is plausible that macrophages produce bFGF in a fibroproliferative process, currently no data exists that directly identifies the macrophage as a source of bFGF in a fibroproliferative disorder. We used the model of acute intraalveolar granulation tissue formation following lung injury to determine if the macrophage was a cellular source of bFGF in a naturally occurring fibroproliferative process. To examine this hypothesis, patients with severe acute lung injury underwent bronchoalveolar lavage during the phase of lung repair. Polymerase chain reaction and Northern analysis of macrophage RNA revealed the presence of two species of bFGF messenger RNA (4.4 kb and 1.9 kb). Metabolic labeling studies of recovered macrophages revealed a newly synthesized 18-kd protein with antigenic similarity to bFGF. Immunohistochemical evaluation of lung tissue from patients who died following acute lung injury, showed numerous bFGF immunoreactive macrophages present within airspaces containing fibroblastic and vascular tissue proliferation. This investigation has identified the alveolar macrophage as a cellular source of bFGF in the fibroproliferative disorder of intraalveolar fibrosis following acute lung injury.     

Alveolar macrophage procoagulant activity is increased in acute hyperoxic lung injury.

Alveolar macrophage accumulation and interstitial fibrin deposition are prominent in adult respiratory distress syndrome and chronic interstitial lung diseases. The role of alveolar macrophages in the initiation of fibrin deposition and lung injury in these diseases is uncertain. Expression of procoagulant activity by these cells may provide evidence of macrophage activation and involvement in the initiation of lung fibrin deposition. An experimental model of hyperoxia-induced lung injury in rats was studied for assessment of the relationship of lung injury, fibrin deposition, and alveolar macrophage procoagulant activity. Lung injury was assessed histologically and functionally, and the accumulation of inflammatory cells was quantified by bronchoalveolar lavage. Pulmonary injury, manifested by increased capillary permeability, developed progressively during exposure to hyperoxia and was associated with significant augmentation of the procoagulant activity of alveolar macrophages early in the disease. This increase preceded the accumulation of polymorphonuclear leukocytes. Alveolar macrophage procoagulant activity had functional characteristics consistent with tissue factor. These studies provide evidence of early alveolar macrophage activation in acute hyperoxic lung injury in rats and suggest a role for procoagulant activity in the development of interstitial fibrin deposition.     

A role for hyaluronan in macrophage accumulation and collagen deposition after bleomycin-induced lung injury

Elevated concentrations of hyaluronan (HA) are associated with the accumulation of macrophages in the lung after injury. We have investigated the role of HA in the inflammatory and fibrotic responses to lung injury using the intratracheal instillation of bleomycin in rats as a model. After bleomycin-induced lung injury, both HA content in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and staining for HA in macrophages accumulating in injured areas of the lung were maximal at 4 d. Increased HA in BAL correlated with increased locomotion of isolated alveolar macrophages. HA-binding peptide was able to specifically block macrophage motility in vitro. Importantly, systemic administration of HA-binding peptide to rats before injury not only decreased alveolar macrophage motility and accumulation in the lung, but also reduced lung collagen alpha (I) messenger RNA and hydroxyproline contents. We propose a model in which HA plays a critical role in the inflammatory response and fibrotic consequences of acute lung injury.     

Macrophage-derived cytokines amplify immune complex-triggered O2-. responses by rat alveolar macrophages.

Interleukin-1 (IL-1) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) are monocyte macrophage-derived hormonelike regulatory proteins that participate in many physiologic and pathophysiologic processes. Several proinflammatory activities have been attributed to these cytokines, but their importance in anatomically compartmentalized inflammatory processes is unclear. The current in vitro studies have been designed to examine modulatory influences of these cytokines on O2-. responses of rat phagocytes implicated as effector cells in immune complex mediated lung injury. Purified human IL-1, recombinant human TNF (rTNF), and culture supernatant from zymosan-activated alveolar macrophages significantly amplified O2-. responses of immune complex-stimulated alveolar macrophages but did not enhance the responses of neutrophils. Equivalent concentrations of IL-1, rTNF, and alveolar macrophage culture supernatant had no direct stimulatory effect on alveolar macrophages as measured by O2-. production. Culture media from unstimulated alveolar macrophages exerted negligible effects on O2-. generation by immune complex-activated alveolar macrophages. These data indicate that O2- responses of immune complex alveolar macrophages can be enhanced by the presence of IL-1, TNF, or media from activated macrophages. It is possible that macrophage products may greatly amplify tissue injury through the enhancement of oxygen radical production.     

Expression and role of the hyaluronan receptor RHAMM in inflammation after bleomycin injury

Lung injury is associated with increased concentrations of hyaluronan (hyaluronic acid, HA). HA modifies cell behavior through interaction with cell-associated receptors such as receptor for HA-mediated motility (RHAMM, CD168). Using a function blocking anti-RHAMM antibody (R36), we investigated the expression and role of RHAMM in the inflammatory response to intratracheal bleomycin in rats. Immunostaining showed increased expression of RHAMM in macrophages 4-7 d after injury. Surface biotin labeling of cells isolated by lavage confirmed increased surface expression of a 70-kD RHAMM after lung injury, and in situ hybridization demonstrated increased RHAMM mRNA in macrophages responding to injury. Time-lapse cinemicrography demonstrated a 5-fold increase in motility of alveolar macrophages from bleomycin-treated animals that was completely blocked by R36 in vitro. Further, HA-stimulated macrophage chemotaxis was also inhibited by R36. Daily administration of R36 to injured animals resulted in a 40% decrease in macrophage accumulation 7 d after injury. Further, H&E staining of tissue sections showed that bleomycin-mediated changes in lung architecture were improved with R36 treatment. Taken together with previous results showing the inhibitory effects of HA-binding peptide on inflammation and fibrosis, we conclude that the interaction of RHAMM with HA is a critical component of the recruitment of inflammatory cells to the lung after injury.     

Quantitation and characterization of glomerular procoagulant activity in experimental glomerulonephritis

Glomerular procoagulant activity (PCA) was studied in four different models of experimental glomerulonephritis (GN) in rabbits. These models included 3 macrophage-dependent models: active autologous phase anti-glomerular basement membrane (GBM) antibody induced GN (active anti-GBMGN); passively induced autologous phase anti-GBMGN, and acute serum sickness; and a macrophage independent model of injury, heterologous phase anti-GBMGN was included also. PCA in glomerular lysates was significantly augmented in the three macrophage-dependent models, but not elevated significantly in heterologous anti-GBMGN when compared to glomerular lysates from normal rabbits. The greatest augmentation of PCA was found in glomeruli from rabbits with active anti-GBMGN which also contained the greatest numbers of macrophages. The functional characteristics of the glomerular PCA were similar in each of the models studied. Initiation of coagulation in vitro by these lysates was shown to be dependent on the presence of coagulation Factors VII and V, and largely independent of Factors XII and VIII, suggesting that glomerular PCA activates the extrinsic coagulation pathway. Inhibition studies using concanavalin A and phospholipase C demonstrated that glycoside residues and phospholipids are important chemical moieties for the coagulant activity of PCA. After sonication and ultracentrifugation PCA was found in the cell membrane fraction but not in the cell cytosol of glomerular lysates. These studies provide further evidence that glomerular PCA is markedly augmented in the presence of infiltrating glomerular macrophages and demonstrate that glomerular PCA has the functional characteristics of 'tissue factor', the procoagulant expressed by macrophages on their cell surface membrane. The quantitative association of glomerular PCA with glomerular macrophages, together with the shared functional characteristics of glomerular PCA and macrophage PCA, together suggests that the augmented glomerular PCA in experimental GN is due to tissue factor from infiltrating macrophages (macrophage PCA).     

Role of alveolar macrophages in Candida-induced acute lung injury.

Recent studies have shown that alveolar macrophages (AMs) not only act as phagocytes but also play a central role as potent secretory cells in various lung diseases, including pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome. The behavior of AMs during disseminated candidiasis, however, is insufficiently elucidated. This study is the first to report disseminated candidiasis in AM-depleted mice and to analyze the effect of AMs on Candida-induced acute lung injury. While all AM-sufficient mice died by day 2 after infection with Candida albicans, no mortality was observed among AM-depleted mice. Unexpectedly, the CFU numbers of C. albicans isolated from the lungs of AM-depleted mice were significantly higher than those for C. albicans isolated from AM-sufficient mice. The lung wet-to-dry weight ratio was lower for AM-depleted mice than for AM-sufficient mice, although this difference was not significant. We found that bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) from AM-depleted mice in candidemia contained fewer neutrophils than BALF from AM-sufficient mice. In addition, myeloperoxidase activities in lung homogenates of AM-depleted mice were significantly lower than those in homogenates of AM-sufficient mice. A significant decrease in levels of murine macrophage inflammatory protein 2 (MIP-2), a potent chemoattractant for neutrophils, was noted in lung homogenates from AM-depleted mice compared with levels in homogenates from AM-sufficient mice. Immunohistochemical studies using anti-MIP-2 antibodies revealed that AMs were the cellular source of MIP-2 within the lung during candidemia. We observed that AM depletion decreased levels of AM-derived neutrophil chemoattractant, alleviated acute lung injury during candidemia, and prolonged the survival of mice in candidemia, even though clearance of C. albicans from the lungs was reduced.     

In vitro activation of rat neutrophils and alveolar macrophages with IgA and IgG immune complexes. Implications for immune complex-induced lung injury.

In the rat, both IgG and IgA immune complexes induce oxygen radical mediated lung injury that is partially complement-dependent. In vivo studies have suggested that the chief sources of oxygen radicals in IgG and IgA immune complex-induced lung injury are neutrophils and tissue macrophages, respectively. The current studies have been designed to provide additional insights into these two models of tissue injury. Preformed monoclonal IgG and IgA immune complexes stimulated dose-dependent O2-. and H2O2 production by alveolar macrophages. In contrast, neutrophils exhibited O2-. production and lysosomal enzyme secretion in response to IgG immune complexes, but not in response to IgA complexes. There is evidence that C5a significantly amplifies these responses. Purified human C5a enhanced the O2-. responses of neutrophils activated with IgG immune complexes and alveolar macrophages activated with either IgG or IgA immune complexes. Addition of C5a alone to neutrophils or alveolar macrophages had no direct stimulatory effect as measured by O2-. production. The observation that O2-. responses of immune complex-activated alveolar macrophages can be significantly enhanced by the presence of C5a and that C5a can also enhance O-2. responses of IgG immune complex-stimulated neutrophils suggests a potential amplification mechanism through which complement may participate in both IgG and IgA immune complex-induced lung injury. The present data corroborate in vivo studies which suggest that IgG immune complex lung injury is primarily neutrophil-mediated, whereas IgA complex lung injury is predominantly macrophage-mediated.     

Human lung tissue macrophages, but not alveolar macrophages, express matrix metalloproteinases after direct contact with activated T lymphocytes

Human alveolar macrophages (AM) and lung tissue macrophages (LTM) have a distinct localization in the cellular environment. We studied their response to direct contact with activated T lymphocytes in terms of the production of interstitial collagenase (MMP-1), 92-kD gelatinase (MMP-9), and of TIMP-1, one of the counter-regulatory tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases. Either AM obtained by bronchoalveolar lavage or LTM obtained by mincing and digestion of lung tissue were exposed for 48 h to plasma membranes of T lymphocytes previously activated with phorbol myristate acetate and phytohemagglutinin for 24 h. Membranes of activated T cells strongly induced the production of MMP-1, MMP-9, and TIMP-1 exclusively in LTM but not in AM, whereas membranes from unstimulated T cells failed to induce the release of MMPs. Both populations of mononuclear phagocytes spontaneously released only small amounts of MMPs and TIMP-1. Similar results were obtained when MMP and TIMP-1 expression was analyzed at pretranslational and biosynthetic levels, respectively. Blockade experiments with cytokine antagonists revealed the involvement of T-cell membrane-associated interleukin-1 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha in MMP production by LTM upon contact with T cells. These data suggest that the ability of lung macrophages to produce MMPs after direct contact with activated T cells is related to the difference in phenotype of mononuclear phagocytes and cell localization. In addition, these observations indicate that cell-cell contact represents an important biological mechanism in potentiating the inflammatory response of mononuclear phagocytes in the lungs.     

Acquisition of peroxidase activity by rat alveolar macrophages during pulmonary inflammation.

The authors investigated the ability of rat alveolar macrophages to acquire peroxidase activity in the course of pulmonary inflammation. Granulomatous pulmonary inflammation was induced in bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG)-immunized rats by intravenous injection of BCG in mineral oil. In contrast to normal alveolar macrophages, which are peroxidase-negative, alveolar macrophages lavaged from the BCG-treated rats showed significant peroxidase activity in large cytoplasmic inclusions compatible with internalized exogenous material. Alveolar macrophage uptake of intact peroxidase-positive neutrophils was also observed. Maximal numbers of peroxidase-positive alveolar macrophages were observed after the initial influx of neutrophils into the lungs, and peroxidase activity could be demonstrated in cell-free lavage fluid during the acute phase of lung injury. Normal alveolar macrophages acquired peroxidase activity after incubation with peritoneal exudate neutrophils, with purified soluble human myeloperoxidase, and with opsonized erythrocytes. It is concluded that alveolar macrophages acquire peroxidase activity from multiple sources during pulmonary inflammation. Internalization of peroxidase by the alveolar macrophage may serve to clear a potentially toxic enzyme(s) from the alveolar space and contribute to the resolution of pulmonary inflammation.     

The role of alveolar macrophages in the pathogenesis of aspiration pneumonitis

RATIONALE: A robust TNFalpha response is seen following aspiration of food particles, while there is only a modest response to acid. OBJECTIVES: To examine the direct effects of acid and particulate components of gastric content on local and systemic macrophages. METHODS: Pathogen-free Long-Evans rats were injured with intratracheal instillation of normal saline (SHAM), low pH saline (ACID), small non-acidic particles (SNAP) or acidified particles (CASP). The alveolar (local) and the peritoneal (systemic) macrophages were harvested following the injury. MEASUREMENTS: We examined the phagocytic activity and TNFalpha release by the alveolar and peritoneal macrophages following in vivo and in vitro exposure to acid and/or food particles. TNFalpha release by macrophages was examined in response to E. coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation. MAIN RESULTS: In rats injured with gastric particles, the number of the mononuclear cells was higher than those obtained from acid-injured animals. Both in vivo and in vitro exposure of the alveolar macrophages to SNAP resulted in increased production of TNFalpha within 8 hours. Transient exposure of the alveolar macrophages to a low pH environment suppressed LPS-induced production of this cytokine. Additionally, the phagocytic activity of the alveolar macrophages was inhibited by in vitro exposure of the macrophages to acid. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that the two components of gastric aspiration have diverse effects on local and systemic macrophages. Although there is a synergy between acid and gastric particulate in producing an acute lung injury, the modulatory effects of these injuries on the alveolar macrophages are averse.     

Activation of the alpha7 nAChR reduces acid-induced acute lung injury in mice and rats

New evidence indicates that neural mechanisms can down-regulate acute inflammation. In these studies, we tested the potential role of the alpha7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (alpha7 nAChR) in a rodent model of acid-induced acute lung injury. We first determined that the alpha7 nAChR was expressed by alveolar macrophages and lung epithelial cells. Then, using an acid-induced acute lung injury mouse model, we found that nicotine, choline, and PNU-282,987 (a specific alpha7 nAChR agonist) decreased excess lung water and lung vascular permeability, and reduced protein concentration in the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL). Deficiency of alpha7 nAChR resulted in a 2-fold increase in excess lung water and lung vascular permeability. The reduction of proinflammatory cytokines (macrophage inflammatory protein-2 and TNF-alpha) in the BAL with nicotine probably resulted from the suppression of NF-kappaB activation in alveolar macrophages. The beneficial effect of nicotine was also tested in rat model of acid-induced acute lung injury in which BAL protein and receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE), a marker of type I cell injury, were reduced by nicotine treatment. These results indicate that activation of alpha7 nAChR may provide a new therapeutic pathway for the treatment of acute lung injury.     

Effect of acute inflammatory lung injury on the expression of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) in rat pulmonary alveolar macrophages.

Using a well-characterized rat model of immune complex-mediated acute inflammatory lung injury, we determined that there is a time-dependent elaboration of monocyte chemotactic activity in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. Monocyte chemotactic activity is also significantly enhanced in culture supernatants from pulmonary alveolar macrophages (PAMs) from injured rat lungs. Northern hybridization analysis revealed markedly increased expression of rat monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1) mRNA in PAMs obtained from rats with immune complex-induced lung injury. The increased expression of MCP-1 mRNA and associated increase in monocyte chemotactic activity present in culture supernatants of PAMs from injured rat lungs suggest that PAMs may participate in the pathogenesis of acute inflammatory lung injury by the secretion of monocyte chemoattractants including MCP-1.     

Macrophages express osteopontin during repair of myocardial necrosis.

Osteopontin is a secreted glycoprotein implicated in a variety of functions, including cell adhesion and migration. Because these functions may be of general importance in the response of tissue to injury, we examined osteopontin expression after experimental cardiac injury and human myocardial infarction. Rat hearts were injured by transdiaphragmatic freeze-thaw and examined from 1 to 28 days after injury. Osteopontin was absent from normal myocardium by immunocytochemistry, Western blotting, and in situ hybridization. On days 1 and 2 after injury, osteopontin mRNA and protein were expressed at high levels by macrophages infiltrating necrotic myocardium. Double labeling with the macrophage marker ED1, however, demonstrated that only a subset of macrophages expressed osteopontin. Western blot analysis showed a single 66-kd band in injured myocardium that was absent from control tissue. Although macrophages remained abundant in the ensuing granulation response and scar tissue formation, the expression of osteopontin was diminished on day 4 and markedly downregulated at 1 and 4 weeks after injury, with only rare cells expressing the message or protein. In a human heart with an 8-day-old myocardial infarct, there was abundant expression of osteopontin mRNA and protein in macrophages within the necrotic and granulation tissue. Transient expression of osteopontin was also observed in a subset of macrophages infiltrating lung, skin, and skeletal muscle injured during the experiment, indicating the response was not limited to the heart. Thus, synthesis of osteopontin by macrophages appears to be a generalized response in the reaction to tissue injury. Although macrophages persist in these lesions, osteopontin is dramatically downregulated as healing proceeds. These results provide the first evidence that osteopontin may be important in healing after tissue injury, possibly in cellular adhesion, chemotaxis, and/or phagocytosis.     

Elevated gelatinase activity in pulmonary alveolar proteinosis: role of macrophage-colony stimulating factor

Pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP) is an anti-granulocyte macrophage-colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) autoimmune disease resulting in the accumulation of phospholipids in the alveoli. GM-CSF knockout (KO) mice exhibit a strikingly similar lung pathology to patients with PAP. The lack of functionally active GM-CSF correlates with highly elevated concentrations of M-CSF in the lungs of PAP patients and GM-CSF KO mice. M-CSF has been associated with alternative macrophage activation, and in models of pulmonary fibrosis, M-CSF also contributes to tissue resorption and fibrosis. Matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) and MMP-9 have been implicated in extracellular matrix degradation in animal models of fibrosis and asthma. We show for the first time that the lungs of PAP patients contain highly elevated levels of MMP-2 and MMP-9. PAP broncholaveolar lavage (BAL) cells but not bronchial epithelial cells expressed increased MMP-2 and MMP-9 mRNA relative to healthy controls. Both MMPs were detectable as pro and active proteins by gelatin zymography; and by fluorometric global assay, PAP-MMP activity was elevated. BAL cells/fluids from GM-CSF KO mice also demonstrated significantly elevated MMP-2 and MMP-9 gene expression, protein, and activity. Finally, PAP patients undergoing GM-CSF therapy exhibited significantly reduced MMPs and M-CSF. These data suggest that in the absence of GM-CSF, excess M-CSF in PAP may redirect alveolar macrophage activation, thus potentially contributing to elevated MMP expression in the lung.