Autoantibodies against G-protein-coupled receptors modulate heart mast cells

Mast cells are believed to be involved in myocardial tissue remodelling under pathophysiological conditions. We examined the effects of autoantibodies against G-protein-coupled receptors in sera of patients with heart diseases on myocardial mast cells in the cultured neonatal Sprague-Dawley rat heart cells. Cells collected at day 3 and 10 of the culture were preincubated with autoantibodies against α-adrenoceptor and angiotensin Ⅱ ATl-receptor, agonist phenylephrine and angiotensin Ⅱ, and control IgG. The pretreated cultured cells were stained for selected mast cell markers tryptase, chymase and TNF-α The cultured cells were also processed for observation with electron microscopy. The autoantibodies-treatment of the 3-day cultured cells caused both increased intensity of immunofluorescence （p 〈 0.05） and their enlarged diameters of the mast cells when compared to age-matched ones. In contrast, the fluorescence of preincubated 10-day-old mast cells was decreased compared with controls （p 〈 0.01）. In control samples, the fluorescence of 10-day-old mast cells was significantly higher than that of 3-day-old ones （p 〈 0.001）. Results of electron microscopy examination demonstrated there was an increased granulation of treated 3-day-old mast cells, while a degranulation of mast cells at day 10 of application. The results suggest the modulation effect of the autoantibodies against G-protein-coupled receptors on mast cells, indicating a potential functional link between the autoantibodies against G-protein-coupled receptors and the mast cells in progression of heart disease.     

腹膜炎大鼠肥大细胞及间皮的形态变化

目的：探讨腹膜炎大鼠间皮细胞的形态变化和肥大细胞的作用。方法：将粪汁注入大鼠腹腔,制成腹膜炎模型。注射后第1、2、3、4h取肠系膜铺片,硫堇染色,光镜观察肥大细胞的数量和形态。间皮细胞的形态做了扫描电镜观察。结果：在腹膜炎的第1～4h,5mm^2肠系膜内可辨认的肥大细胞总数由平均37．7个减至平均13．7个;正在脱颗粒的肥大细胞,由平均1个增至20．8个;核周有少数颗粒的裸核肥大细胞由无增至平均6．1个。间皮细胞的损伤随腹膜炎的发展而加重。结论：肥大细胞释放活性物质,以速发超敏反应参与腹膜炎的病理过程,早期减少腹膜间皮表面积,减少毒素吸收;晚期加速腹膜间皮破坏,增加毒素吸收。     

Cine-MRI versus two-dimensional echocardiography to measure in vivo left ventricular function in rat heart

Two-dimensional echocardiography is the most commonly used non-invasive method for measuring in vivo cardiac function in experimental animals. In humans, measurements of cardiac function made using cine-MRI compare favourably with those made using echocardiography. However, no rigorous comparison has been made in small animals. Here, standard short-axis two-dimensional (2D) echocardiography (2D-echo) and cine-MRI measurements were made in the same rats, both control and after chronic myocardial infarction. Correlations between the two techniques were found for end diastolic area, stroke area and ejection fraction, but cine-MRI measurements of ejection fraction were 12+/-6% higher than those made using 2D-echo, because of the 1.8-fold higher temporal resolution of the MRI technique (4.6 ms vs 8.3 ms). Repeated measurements on the same group of rats over several days showed that the cine-MRI technique was more reproducible than 2D-echo, in that 2D-echo would require five times more animals to find a statistically significant difference. In summary, caution should be exercised when comparing functional results acquired using short-axis 2D-echo vs cine-MRI. The accuracy of cine-MRI allows identification of alterations in heart function that may be missed when using 2D-echo.     

Human bone marrow mast cells in systemic mast cell disease

In a case of systemic mast cell disease with moderate bone marrow involvement, we studied the sensitivity of mast cell cationic dye-binding to formaldehyde fixation, as well as the mast cell ultrastructure, so as to determine whether these cells possess characteristics of mucosal mast cells. This histochemical method has proved to be one of the few which reveal heterogeneity of the mast cells in human intestine. Even though rat bone marrow mast cells have been shown to belong to the mucosal mast cell compartment, we have found no difference in mast cell counts in samples fixed either in formaldehyde or Carnoy's fixative. The ultrastructure did not show major differences with cutaneous mast cells. A few cells presented two nuclei, suggesting mitotic division of mature mast cells in bone marrow.     

Histamine release and its effects in ischaemia-reperfusion injury of the isolated rat heart

Histamine is released from the heart during ischaemia-reperfusion injury. As histamine has cardiac effects, we investigated the role of histamine in ischaemia-reperfusion injury of isolated rat hearts. A Langendorff-model with 30 min global (37 ^oC) ischaemia followed by 60 min reperfusion was employed. The effects of ischaemia alone (n= 10, group 1.1+n = 10, group 2.1, 2 different series), and ischaemia with H₁- and H₂-receptor blockade with cimetidine (10 μM, n= 10), chlorpheniramine (10 μm, n= 8), terfenadine (10 μM, n= 8), and promethazin (10 μM, n= 9), or both cimetidine and chlorpheniramine (n = 8), were studied. Histamine was measured in the coronary effluent and cardiac tissue of group 1.1. Release of histamine increased from 6.5 ± 1 pmol min^-1 before ischaemia to 19 ± 3 pmol min^-1 at the start of reperfusion. Ischaemia decreased left ventricular developed pressure to 18 ± 11 % (1.1) and 50 ± 11 % (2.1) of initial value (mean ± SEM) at the start of reperfusion. Left ventricular end-diastolic pressure increased from 0 to 79 ± 8 mmHg (1.1) and 39 ± 9 (2.1) mmHg, while left ventricular systolic pressure was unchanged (101 ± 12% in 1.1 and 101 ± 10% in 2.1). Severe arrhythmias were induced in 90 (1.1) and 30 (2.1)% of the hearts, while coronary flow decreased during reperfusion. H₂-blockade did not modify the changes in left ventricular pressures, coronary flow, or heart rate induced by ischaemia. Three different Hj-blockers increased left ventricular systolic pressure, inhibited the decrease of developed pressure, attenuated the increase of end-diastolic pressure, and totally inhibited reperfusion arrhythmias. The effect of both blockers together was similar to that of H₁-blockers alone. Coronary flow was increased during reperfusion in two of the groups with Hj-blocker compared with ischaemic controls. Increased release of histamine from ischaemic-reperfused rat hearts concurred with depression of left ventricular function and arrhythmias during early reperfusion. Cardiac dysfunction during reperfusion was attenuated by three different Hj-receptor blockers.     

大鼠肝内移植肿瘤与肥大细胞关系的形态学研究

目的：研究大鼠肝内移植肿瘤与其周边肥大细胞的关系。方法：建立40只雄性Wistar大鼠肝内移植肿瘤模型，运用HE染色，肥大细胞（mast cell，MC）Alcian blue特殊染色，苦味酸-天狼猩红染色和电镜等技术，观察移植肿瘤肝组织的形态学改变，肿瘤周边浸润MC的数量以及MC与肿瘤组织的关系，8只正常大鼠为对照组。结果：肿瘤组织周边部分肝细胞形态学异常；肝组织内胶原纤维增生，主要为Ⅰ型和Ⅲ型胶原，并包绕肿瘤组织，肿瘤周边MC浸润，并沿胶原纤维分布，不同大鼠其肿瘤周边MC数量不一，有的差异明显。超微结构观察显示MC通过多个接触点与肿瘤细胞紧密相连，并释放胞质颗粒内容物，导致肿瘤细胞崩解。结论：MC与肿瘤组织有着非常密切的关系，MC可能通过多种途径直接和间接地发挥抗肿瘤作用。     

Polyamines stimulate the phosphorylation of phosphatidylinositol in rat mast cell granules

Rat mast cell granules were obtained by homogenization of highly purified rat mast cells and isolated in a Percoll gradient. Diphosphoinositide (DPI) synthesis in rat mast cell granules was assayed by measuring the incorporation of 32P from [gamma 32P] ATP into DPI in the absence of exogenous phosphatidylinositol (PI). Lipids were isolated with methanol/chloroform/HCl and were separated by thin-layer chromatography on oxalic acid impregnated silica gel plates. DPI areas were identified by staining with iodine, scraped and measured for 32P radioactivity. The addition of polyamines, spermine and spermidine, to the granules caused an increase of DPI synthesis, which can be catalyzed by PI kinase. This effect of polyamines in the DPI synthesis was in a dose-dependent manner and maximal effects were observed at 1 mM spermine and 10 mM spermidine, respectively.     

Developmental changes of mast cell populations in the cerebral meninges of the rat

It is known that both the dura and the pia mater attract and support the differentiation of mast cells. The present study shows that unevenly distributed mast cells in the cerebral meninges of the rat can be found in perivascular sites and vessel ramification points, but can also be unrelated to the meningeal vasculature. It also documents changes in the number, localization and staining preferences of the mast cells in the two meninges of the developing and mature rat brain. Quantitative examination of all types of histochemically differentiated meningeal mast cells reveals no major (although some exist) differences between right and left side subpopulations, but strongly suggests a different origin and fate of the dural and the pial mast cells. The number of dural mast cells, already high from postnatal day 0, although declining from postnatal day 21 onwards, remains conspicuous up to postnatal day 180. In contrast, pial mast cells are comparatively very few in the first day of the postnatal life, and despite a transient significant increase in the following two weeks, they reach almost zero levels from postnatal day 21.     

A central role for the mast cell in early phase vasculitis in the Brown Norway rat model of vasculitis: a histological study

Administration of mercuric chloride (HgCl(2)) to Brown Norway rats causes Th2-dominated autoimmunity with raised immunoglobulin E concentrations and gut vasculitis, both of which are T-cell dependent, peak at 14 days after starting HgCl(2) and then spontaneously resolve. If animals are re-challenged with HgCl(2) 6 weeks after initial exposure, they are resistant to autoimmunity, developing only attenuated disease. Recently, a separate phase of early caecal vasculitis was described beginning 24 h after initiating HgCl(2) and prior to caecal entry of T cells. Previous work suggested this early vasculitis was alpha beta T-cell independent and implied a role for mast cells. We further tested this hypothesis by performing a histological study during the first 93 h following HgCl(2) challenge defining the precise relationship between gut mast cell degranulation and appearing caecal vasculitis. We also studied whether early caecal vasculitis enters a resistant phase upon re-challenge with HgCl(2). We show a direct correlation between mast cell degranulation and early caecal vasculitis following initial HgCl(2) challenge. We demonstrate resistance to re-challenge in this phase of injury, with results at re-challenge also showing a correlation between mast cell degranulation and early caecal injury.     

慢性心衰大鼠心肌细胞内雷尼丁受体及集钙蛋白的表达

目的:研究慢性心衰大鼠心肌细胞内雷尼丁受体(RyR2)及其调节蛋白集钙蛋白的表达,探讨心衰心肌细胞内钙容量降低的机制。方法:雄性SD大鼠被随机分为心衰组和假手术组,运用激光扫描共聚焦显微镜、透射电子显微镜、免疫印迹等方法研究2组大鼠心肌细胞肌浆网内钙容量、心肌细胞超微结构及心肌细胞内肌浆网钙释放通道RyR2和其调节蛋白集钙蛋白表达的变化。结果:慢性心衰大鼠心功能左心室舒张末期压力、左室压力最大上升速率均显著低于假手术组。假手术组大鼠心肌细胞的肌小节完整,肌丝排列整齐,线粒体结构正常;心衰组大鼠部分心肌细胞肌丝溶解,线粒体肿胀,嵴断裂。慢性心衰大鼠心肌细胞肌浆网内钙容量显著低于假手术组。慢性心衰大鼠心肌细胞内RyR2的表达量无明显变化,集钙蛋白表达明显下降。结论:慢性心衰大鼠心肌细胞内集钙蛋白表达下调,可能是导致心肌细胞肌浆网钙容量减少的原因之一。     

Neuraminidase- and benzalkonium chloride-dependent inhibition of basic peptide-induced rat mast cell secretion

Two types of inhibition of basic peptide-induced rat mast cell secretion are reported. Pretreatment of rat peritoneal mast cells with Vibrio comma neuraminidase, an enzyme which cleaves sialic acid from oligosaccharides, led to inhibition of 5-hydroxytryptamine release induced by the basic peptides polylysine, corticotropin_1–24 and a decapeptide sequence of human IgE. Inhibition was similarly observed when mast cells were challenged in the presence of the cationic cell membrane-active substance benzalkonium chloride. It is postulated that both of these experimental procedures inhibit basic peptide-induced secretion by depletion of cell surface negative charge. Sialic acid itself does not act as a specific receptor for basic peptides, since a molar excess of sialic acid in free solution failed to inhibit secretion by binding to basic peptides in the fluid phase.     

溃疡病胃壁内肥大细胞的观察

选取胃溃疡２１例，十二脂肠溃疡２３例，作ＨＥ和ＣＡＢＥ液染色，研究ＧＵ和ＤＵ胃壁内肥大细胞数量、分布和脱颗粒率与溃病发生的关系。结果表明；两组肥大细胞计数差异无显著性，两组肥大细胞脱颗粒率差异有显著性意义。ＧＵ组溃疡底部与边缘委员长我细胞脱颗粒度的差异也有其它显著性，并且由溃疡向外呈递减趋势。     

Mast cell tryptase may modulate endothelial cell phenotype in healing myocardial infarcts

Mast cells and macrophages infiltrate healing myocardial infarcts and may play an important role in regulating fibrous tissue deposition and extracellular matrix remodelling. This study examined the time-course of macrophage and mast cell accumulation in healing infarcts and studied the histological characteristics and protease expression profile of mast cells in a canine model of experimental infarction. Although macrophages were more numerous than mast cells in infarct granulation tissue, macrophage density decreased during maturation of the scar, whereas mast cell numbers remained persistently elevated. During the inflammatory phase of infarction, newly recruited leucocytes infiltrated the injured myocardium and appeared to be clustered in close proximity to degranulating cardiac mast cells. During the proliferative phase of healing, mast cells had decreased granular content and were localized close to infarct neovessels. In contrast, macrophages showed no selective localization. Mast cells in healing canine infarcts were alcian blue/safranin-positive cells that expressed both tryptase and chymase. In order to explain the pro-inflammatory and angiogenic actions of tryptase--the major secretory protein of mast cells--its effects on endothelial chemokine expression were examined. Chemokines are chemotactic cytokines that play an important role in leucocyte trafficking and angiogenesis and are highly induced in infarcts. Tryptase, a proteinase-activated receptor (PAR)-2 agonist, induced endothelial expression of the angiogenic chemokines CCL2/MCP-1 and CXCL8/IL-8, but not the angiostatic chemokine CXCL10/IP-10. Endothelial PAR-2 stimulation with the agonist peptide SLIGKV induced a similar chemokine expression profile. Mast cell tryptase may exert its angiogenic effects in part through selective stimulation of angiogenic chemokines.     

Mast cell infiltrates in vulvodynia represent secondary and idiopathic mast cell hyperplasias

Mast cell infiltrates in tissues of vulvodynia are common, but they have not been characterized for criteria of neoplastic mast cell disease or correlated with patient's concomitant diseases associated with increased mast cells. Formalin‐fixed specimens of 35 patients with vulvodynia were evaluated immunohistochemically with antibodies to CD 3,4,8,20,117c and human mast cell tryptase, and for WHO‐criteria of neoplastic mastocytosis (>25% spindled mast cell, CD25 expression, point mutations of the c‐kit gene (D816V), and chronically elevated serum tryptase levels). Only 20/35 specimens showed a T‐lymphocyte dominant inflammatory infiltrate on HE‐stained sections, but all showed mast cells. 4/35 biopsies showed <10 mast cells/mm², 15/35 specimens 40–60 mast cells/mm² and 16/35 specimens >60 mast cells/mm² (average 80/mm²). Control tissue contained typically <10 mast cells/mm². Spindling, CD25‐expression, c‐kit gene mutations, or increased serum tryptase levels were not detected. 26/35 (74%) patients had concomitant autoimmune diseases, psoriasis, atopy, various allergies, preceding infections. Independent of the subtype of vulvodynia, the majority of mast cell rich biopsies with >40 mast cells/mm² were classified as a secondary mast cell disorder reflecting an activated immune system in 75% of vulvodynia patients. Patients with increased mast cells may benefit from medical therapy targeting mast cells.     

Expression of the c-kit gene product in normal and neoplastic mast cells but not in neoplastic basophil/mast cell precursors from chronic myelogenous leukaemia

The expression of the c-kit gene product has been examined in normal mast cells, mast cell neoplasms, and basophil/mast cell precursors obtained from patients with chronic myelogenous leukaemia (CML). Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded sections or smears fixed with formalin vapour were studied by immunohistochemical methods, using a polyclonal antibody against the c-kit gene product. Normal and neoplastic mast cells showed a positive immunoreaction for c-kit gene product, but neoplastic basophil/mast cell precursors from CML patients lacked c-kit gene product by immunohistochemical and flow cytometric methods, even in cells having mast cell granules, together with or without basophil granules. Mast cell tryptase was, however, expressed in normal and neoplastic mast cells and basophil/mast cell precursors containing mast cell granules. In addition, cells of monocyte/macrophage lineage lacked c-kit gene product. These findings indicate that the c-kit gene product may play an important role in the development and function of mast cell but not of cell of basophil and monocyte/macrophage lineage.     

A historical review of experimental imaging of the beating heart coronary microcirculation in vivo

Following a myocardial infarction (MI), the prognosis of patients is highly dependent upon the re-establishment of perfusion not only in the occluded coronary artery, but also within the coronary microcirculation. However, our fundamental understanding of the pathophysiology of the tiniest blood vessels of the heart is limited primarily because no current clinical imaging tools can directly visualise them. Moreover, in vivo experimental studies of the beating heart using intravital imaging have also been hampered due to obvious difficulties related to significant inherent contractile motion, movement of the heart brought about by nearby lungs and its location in an anatomically challenging position for microscopy. However, recent advances in microscopy techniques, and the development of fluorescent reporter mice and fluorescently conjugated antibodies allowing visualisation of vascular structures, thromboinflammatory cells and blood flow, have allowed us to overcome some of these challenges and increase our basic understanding of cardiac microvascular pathophysiology. In this review, the elegant attempts of the pioneers in intravital imaging of the beating heart will be discussed, which focussed on providing new insights into the anatomy and physiology of the healthy heart microvessels. The reviews end with the more recent studies that focussed on disease pathology and increasing our understanding of myocardial thromboinflammatory cell recruitment and flow disturbances, particularly in the setting of diseases such as MI.