Os mecanismos que conferem resistência do Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) à destruição pelo hospedeiro, além da sua capacidade em permanecer e/ou multiplicar-se no interior das células fagocitárias são ainda pouco compreendidos. Nosso grupo de pesquisa tem contribuído para o entendimento do papel dos mediadores lipídicos, que incluem prostaglandinas (PGs) e leucotrienos (LTs) na tuberculose. PGs inibem a resposta imune celular TH1, a produção de citocinas e a fagocitose, e assim facilita a infecção. LTs estão envolvidos no recrutamento de leucócitos, e na modulação da síntese de citocinas, no aumento da fagocitose e dos mecanismos microbicidas, e assim contribui para a eliminação da micobactéria. Neste projeto, avaliamos in vivo e in vitro a produção dos mediadores lipídicos induzidos por cepas de Mtb isolados de pacientes com tuberculose ativa. Demonstramos neste trabalho que macrófagos alveolares infectados com os bacilos da cepa SV009 levam a maior produção de TNF- e nitrito, do que aqueles infectados com a cepa SV068. Em contraste, macrófagos alveolares infectados com os bacilos da cepa SV068 induzem a produção de muito mais LTB4, quando comparado aos bacilos da cepa SV009. Obtivemos maior recuperação de unidades formadoras de colônia (UFC) de macrófagos alveolares tratados com MK886 e infectados com bacilos da cepa SV068; enquanto que mais UFCs foram recuperadas após o tratamento com ácido caféico e infecção com a cepa SV009. Com relação a formação de corpúsculos lipídicos (CLs), observamos um maior número destes quando macrófagos alveolares foram infectados com bacilos da cepa SV068. Ainda, observamos diminuição de CLs quando tratados com MK886 ou ácido caféico. Os bacilos da cepa SV068 foram mais fagocitados, mas os macrófagos não foram muito eficazes na atividade microbicida dos mesmos. Nos experimentos in vivo vimos que camundongos balb/c infectados com a cepa SV068 morrem mais e o tratamento com MK886 parcialmente os protege e a mortalidade não está relacionada com a maior carga bacilar no pulmão ou baço. Houve aumento no recrutamento de neutrófilos induzido pela infecção especialmente após infecção com os bacilos da cepa SV068, sendo que o tratamento com MK886 inibe significativamente o recrutamento quando comparado à infecção com os bacilos da cepa SV009. Células mononucleares também foram recrutadas e permaneceram aumentadas até o final do período observado, sem muitas diferenças significativas quando comparamos a infecção com os isolados SV009 e SV068. A produção de nitrito também encontrou-se elevada em animais infectados com bacilos da cepa SV068. A análise histopatológica dos pulmões dos animais infectados mostrou intensa reação inflamatória com maior comprometimento do parênquima pulmonar dos camundongos infectados bacilos da cepa SV068, com intensa deposição de colágeno e multiplicação bacilar. Encontramos diferenças significativas em relação à producão de citocinas IL-6, IL-10, IL-1, IFN-, TNF- and IL-12 após infecção de 30 e 60 dias com as cepas SV009 e SV068. Também mostramos que há diferenças na produção de LTB4 e PGE2 após 30 e 60 dias de infecção com as cepas SV009 e SV068 em células do camundongos balb/c. Experimentos com animais 129 e 5LO-/- infectados com as duas cepas também foram realizados, e vimos que os animais 5LO-/- são mais suscetíveis à infecção especialmente quando infectados com a cepa SV068. Sugerimos que as cepas são diferentes, mas dependentes de um conjunto de fatores, e nossos dados sugerem que dentre estes mecanismos a produção de TNF- e também de mediadores lipídicos (LTB4 e PGE2) estão envolvidos. / The mechanisms that confer resistance to Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) for destruction by the host, in addition to its ability to retain and/or multiply within phagocytic cells are still poorly understood. Our research group has contributed to the understanding of the role of lipid mediators, including prostaglandins (PGs) and leukotrienes (LTs) in tuberculosis. PGs inhibit Th1 cell immune response, cytokine production and phagocytosis, thus facilitating the infection. LTs are involved in the leukocytes recruitment, and modulation of cytokine synthesis, phagocytosis and microbicidal mechanisms enhancement, and contribute to the elimination of the mycobacteria. In this project, we evaluated in vivo and in vitro the lipid mediators production induced by Mtb strains isolated from patients with active tuberculosis. We demonstrated in this study that alveolar macrophages infected with bacilli from SV009 strain lead to an increase of TNF- production and nitrite, than those infected with the strain SV068. In contrast, alveolar macrophages infected with bacilli from SV068 strain induced more LTB4 production when compared to SV009 infection. We obtained higher recovery colony forming units (CFU) of alveolar macrophages treated with MK886 and infected with bacilli from SV068 strain; while more CFUs were recovered after treatment with caffeic acid and infection with bacilli from SV009 strain. Regarding the lipid bodies (LBs) formation, we observed a greater number of these structures, when alveolar macrophages were infected with bacilli from SV068 strain. Still, we observed a decrease of LBs when the macrophages were treated with MK886 and caffeic acid. Bacilli from SV068 strain were more phagocytosed, but macrophages were not very effective in the microbicidal activity. In the in vivo experiments we found that mice infected with SV068 strain die more than the other and MK886 treatment partially protects the mice, besides, the mortality is not related to the higher bacterial load in the lung or spleen. There was an increase in neutrophil recruitment induced after infection, especially after infection with SV068 strain, and treatment with MK886 significantly inhibits recruitment when compared to infection with SV009 strain. Mononuclear cells were also recruited and remained increased until the end of the observed period, without many significant differences when comparing infection with SV009 and SV068 strains. The nitrite production was also found greater in animals infected with bacilli from SV068 strain. Histopathological analysis of the infected mice lungs showed an intense inflammatory reaction with greater impairment of the mice lungs when infected with bacilli from SV068 strain with an intense collagen deposition and multiplication of bacilli. We suggest that the SV068 strain is more virulent and participates of the immune response by lipid mediators dependent mechanisms.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Stockholm : Karol. inst., 2005. / Härtill 4 uppsatser.

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento CientÃfico e TecnolÃgico / CoordenaÃÃo de AperfeiÃoamento de Pessoal de NÃvel Superior / O influxo celular (IC) à sinÃvia participa na fisiopatologia da artrite reumatÃide (AR). Hà controvÃrsias sobre o papel do Ãxido nÃtrico (NO) na modulaÃÃo do influxo de neutrÃfilos para sÃtios inflamatÃrios, seja reduzindo ou estimulando-o. Esse trabalho investigou o efeito de inibidores de Ãxido nÃtrico sintase (NOS) sobre o IC agudo em animais submetidos à artrite ou peritonite induzida por zymosan (AZy ou PZy) ou lipopolissacarÃdeo (ALPS ou PLPS), bem como a participaÃÃo de leucotrieno B4 (LTB4) e da molÃcula de adesÃo intercelular -1 (ICAM-1). Ratos Wistar receberam 10-1000 micrograma de Zy ou 1-10 micrograma de LPS intra-articular (i.a.). Outros grupos receberam 1 mg de Zy ou 10 Âg de LPS intraperitoneal (i.p.). Camundongos selvagens ou geneticamente manipulados (knock out) para ICAM-1 (ICAM-1-/-) receberam 100 Âg de Zy i.a. ou i.p. Esquema dos prÃ-tratamentos (30 minutos antes da artrite ou peritonite): na AZy, L-NAME (1-30 mg/kg; i.p. ou 0,3-1 micromol; i.a), 1400W (1 mg/kg; i.p.) ou Aminoguanidina (Amino) (50 mg/kg; i.p.) em ratos e camundongos receberam L-NAME (3-10 mg/kg;i.p.) ou NG-nitro-L-arginia (Nitro) (50 mg/kg; i.p.). Na PZy, L-NAME (10-30 mg/kg; s.c. ou i.p.) ou 1400W (1 mg/kg; s.c.) foi administrado em ratos e camundongos receberam L-NAME (30 mg/kg; s.c.) ou Nitro (50 mg/kg; s.c.). Na ALPS, ratos receberam L-NAME (10-30 mg/kg; i.p) e, na PLPS, L-NAME (30 mg/kg; s.c.). Controles receberam veÃculo (grupos NT). ApÃs o sacrifÃcio, foram quantificados o IC e LTB4 nos lavados articulares e peritoneais. Na AZy (10-100 micrograma) em ratos, L-NAME (1-3 mg) reduziu o IC (47,4 - 76,6%), quando comparado aos animais NT (p<0,05). Na AZy 1mg, L-NAME (30 mg), 1400W (1 mg) e Amino (50 mg) diminuÃram o IC (57,4%, 74,8% e 76,6%) (p<0,05). L-NAME (0,3 micromol) i.a. tambÃm reduziu o IC (85,3%) (p<0,05). Semelhante aos ratos, camundongos prÃ-tratados com L-NAME (3-10 mg) ou Nitro (50 mg) apresentaram diminuiÃÃo do IC (67,6%, 53,8% e 39,5%) (p<0,05). Contrariamente, na PZy, L-NAME (10-30 mg) e 1400W (1 mg) aumentaram o IC (566,7%, 495,1% e 470,7%) em ratos e L-NAME (30 mg), em camundongos (155,8%) (p<0,05). Nesses, Nitro aumentou o IC, mas nÃo significativamente (p>0,05). L-NAME (10 mg) i.p. tambÃm aumentou o IC (747,6%) (p<0,05). Na ALPS, L-NAME (30 mg) diminuiu o IC nas duas doses de LPS (50,3% e 52,3%) (p<0,05). Na PLPS, L-NAME (30 mg) aumentou o IC (53,4%) (p<0,05). Os inibidores de NOS nÃo alteraram os nÃveis de LTB4. Animais ICAM-1-/- artrÃticos prÃ-tratados ou nÃo com Nitro apresentaram reduÃÃo do IC (57,8% ou 32,1%)(p<0,05). Nos ICAM-1-/- com peritonite prÃ-tratados ou nÃo com Nitro, houve uma reduÃÃo do IC (9,5% e 22,3%), mas nÃo significativa (p>0,05). O NO, particularmente o produzido pela NOSi, reduz o IC agudo na articulaÃÃo, enquanto que o incrementa no peritÃneo. Esse efeito à independente do estÃmulo, da espÃcie, da via de administraÃÃo e da liberaÃÃo de LTB4, alÃm de envolver cÃlulas residentes e/ou migradas. ICAM-1 parece participar do IC nesses modelos, especialmente na artrite, com o NO modulando sua expressÃo na peritonite. / Cell influx (CI) to synovium participates in physiopathology of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). There are controversies about the nitric oxide (NO) action in modulation of neutrophil influx to inflammatory sites, with NO decreasing or increasing it. This study investigated the effect of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitors on acute CI in animals submitted to arthritis or peritonitis induced by zymosan (ZyA or ZyP) or lipopolysaccharide (LPSA or LPSP), and the participation of leukotriene B4 (LTB4) and intercellular adhesion molecule -1 (ICAM-1). Rats Wistar received Zy (10-1000 micrograme) or LPS (1-10 micrograme) intraarticular (i.a.). Other groups received Zy (1 mg) or LPS (10 Âg) intraperitoneal (i.p.). Wild or ICAM-1-deficient (ICAM-1-/-) mice received Zy (100 Âg) i.a. or i.p. Animals were pre-treated (30 minutes before arthritis or peritonitis): in ZyA, rats received L-NAME (1-30 mg/kg; i.p. or 0.3-1 micromol; i.a), 1400W (1 mg/kg; i.p.) or Aminoguanidine (Amino) (50 mg/kg; i.p.). Mice received L-NAME (3-10 mg/kg;i.p.) or NG-nitro-L-arginine (Nitro) (50 mg/kg; i.p.). In ZyP, L-NAME (10-30 mg/kg; s.c. or i.p.) or 1400W (1 mg/kg; s.c.) was administrated in rats and mice received L-NAME (30 mg/kg; s.c.) or Nitro (50 mg/kg; s.c.). In LPSA, rats received L-NAME (10-30 mg/kg; i.p) and, in LPSP, they received L-NAME (30 mg/kg; s.c.). Controls received vehicle (NT groups). After sacrifice, CI was counted and LTB4 was measured in articular and peritoneal exudates. In ZyA (10-100 Âg), L-NAME (1-3 mg) reduced CI (47.4 â 76.6%) as compared to NT animals (p<0.05). In ZyA (1mg), L-NAME (30 mg), 1400W (1mg) and Amino (50 mg) reduced CI (57.4%, 74.8% and 76.6%, respectively) (p<0.05). L-NAME (0.3 Âmol) i.a. also reduced CI (85.3%) (p<0.05). Similarly, L-NAME (3-10 mg) or Nitro (50 mg) pre-treated mice showed a CI reduction (67.6%, 53.8% and 39.5%) (p<0.05). In contrast, in ZyP, L-NAME (10-30 mg) and 1400W (1 mg) increased CI (566.7%, 495.1% and 470.7%, respectively) in rats and L-NAME (30 mg) in mice (155.8%) (p<0.05). In mice, Nitro increased CI, but not significantly (p>0.05). L-NAME (10 mg) i.p. also increased CI (747.6%) (p<0.05). In LPSA, L-NAME (30 mg) decreased CI in two LPS doses (50.3% and 52.3%) (p<0.05). In LPSP, L-NAME (30 mg) increased the influx (53.4%) (p<0.05). NOS inhibitors didnât change LTB4 levels. Arthritic pre-treated or not with Nitro ICAM-1-/- animals showed a CI reduction (57.8% or 32.1%)(p<0.05). In peritonitis, pre-treated or not with Nitro ICAM-1-/- showed a CI reduction (9.5% and 22.3%), but not significantly (p>0.05). NO, especially that produced by iNOS, reduces the acute CI in articulation while increases it in the peritoneum. This effect is independent of stimulus, species, route of administration and LTB4 liberation. Beyond, it involves resident and/or migrated cells. ICAM-1 appears to participate in CI in these models, especially in arthritis. Besides, NO modulates the expression of ICAM-1 in peritonitis.

Les récepteurs couplés de protéines G (RCPG) sont des capteurs biologiques polyvalents responsables de la majorité des réponses cellulaires aux hormones et neurotransmetteurs ainsi que des sens de la vue, de l'odorat et du goût. La transduction des signaux est associée à un ensemble de changements dans la structure tertiaire des récepteurs entraînant l'activation de partenaires intracellulaires dont les protéines G. La dimérisation est un élément central du mode de fonctionnement des RCPG ; cependant, son influence sur la façon dont le signal est transmis est encore mal définie.Nous avons utilisé ici le récepteur BLT1 du leucotriène B4 comme modèle afin d'analyser les changements de conformation au cours de l'activation. Pour cela, nous avons produit le récepteur suivant une approche qui consiste à l'exprimer dans les corps d'inclusion bactériens puis à le renaturer à l'aide de détergents et/ou surfactants originaux. L'accès au récepteur purifié nous a permis de montrer que la protéine G induit une asymétrie dans les changements de conformation au sein de l'homodimère de BLT1. De plus, nous avons pu établir que l'activation de la protéine G se fait essentiellement par le protomère ayant fixé l'agoniste (cis-activation). Enfin, nous avons montré que la forme monomérique du récepteur est parfaitement capable d'induire l'activation de la protéine G, même si le dimère apporte une modulation de la réponse. Ceci indique qu'un monomère de récepteur possède tous les déterminants moléculaires nécessaires à la transmission du signal. L'ensemble de ces résultats apporte un éclairage nouveau sur la façon dont les dimères de RCPG fonctionnent et peuvent moduler la réponse biologique. / G-protein coupled receptors are versatile biological sensors that are responsible for the majority of cellular responses to hormones and neurotransmitters as well as for the sense of sight, smell and taste. Signal transduction is associated with a set of changes in the tertiary structure of the receptor that are recognized by the associated intracellular partners, in particular the G proteins. There is compelling evidence that GPCR can assemble as dimers but the way these assemblies function at the molecular level is still under investigation.We used here the leukotriene B4 receptor BLT1 as a model to analyze the conformational changes occurring during activation. To this end, we first produced the receptor in E. coli inclusion bodies and subsequently folded it back to its native state in vitro using original membrane mimetics. Using the purified dimeric receptor, we showed that (i) the G protein induces an asymmetric arrangement of the BLT1 homodimer where each of the protomers is in a distinct conformation, and (ii) the G protein is cis-activated, i.e. the protomer that binds the agonist also activates Gα. Finally, we brought evidence that, although the dimer fully activates its G protein partner, the monomer has per se all the molecular determinant for an efficient functioning. All these data are original evidence that sheds light into the way GPCR dimers are activated and in turn modulate G protein-mediated signaling.

O diabetes tipo 1 (DT1) é uma doença metabólica associada a uma inflamação sistêmica de baixo grau, responsável por importantes co-morbidades associadas. Nosso grupo demonstrou que esta inflamação depende dos níveis plasmáticos aumentados de leucotrieno-B4 (LTB4), o qual estimula o eixo Myd88/STAT1 amplificando a resposta dos receptores TLR/IL1&#946 em macrófagos. Isso caracteriza o programa pró-inflamatório M1 nestas células, que requer energia proveniente da glicólise e produz substancias tóxicas como espécies reativas de oxigênio (ROS) e óxido nítrico (NO). Isto pode ser minimizado pela respiração mitocondrial desacoplada à síntese de ATP no metabolismo lipídico. Assim, na primeira parte do trabalho os macrófagos de camundongos (C57Bl/6) DT1, expressaram níveis elevados de marcadores de oxidação de ácidos graxos, o que não foi observado em macrófagos de camundongos diabéticos tratados com o antagonista de LTB4 (u75302). Além disso, o u75302 também reduziu a expressão aumentada de CD36, receptor envolvido na captação de lipídios, assim como aumento de lipídios intracelulares nestas células. Os elevados níveis de triglicérides e ácidos graxos presentes no plasma dos diabéticos também foram reduzidos pelo antagonista u75302, e isso foi consistente com o aparecimento de marcadores de lipólise (Prdm16 e Fgf21) no tecido adiposo branco destes animais. Da mesma forma, u75302 reduziu o consumo de oxigênio dos macrófagos de animais diabéticos. Isso foi consistente com os resultados obtidos em macrófagos de camundongos diabéticos deficientes da UCP1, os quais apresentaram maior peso corporal, maior massa de gordura e metabolismo mitocondrial mais baixo do que diabéticos WT. A perda de gordura também foi recuperada pelo tratamento com u75302 indicando o envolvimento do LTB4 na perda de adiposidade e dislipidemia em DT1. Na segunda parte do trabalho, confirmamos a participação dos leucotrienos na inflamação sistêmica em DT1 induzida por estreptozotocina. Camundongos (129SvE) diabéticos apresentaram níveis sistêmicos elevados das citocinas e este aumento não ocorreu em 129Sve deficientes da enzima 5-lipoxigenase (5LO-/-), responsável pela síntese de leucotrienos. A freqüência de monócitos pró-inflamatórios (CD11b&#43Ly6ChighLy6G-) circulantes estava aumentada em camundongos diabéticos WT mas não nos 5LO-/-. Macrófagos peritoneais residentes de camundongos diabéticos também apresentaram um fenótipo semelhante ao M1 classicamente ativado (alta expressão de Nos2 e Stat1, e alta produção de NO), que não foi revertido com o estímulo de IL4 in vitro ou in vivo. Por outro lado, os macrófagos dos 5LO-/- diabéticos apresentaram o fenótipo de macrófagos M2 alternativamente ativados (alta expressão de Ym1 e Arg1, e alta atividade de arginase). Os animais WT diabéticos tiveram cicatrização deficiente que se correlacionou com uma baixa freqüência de macrófagos M2 (CD45&#43F4/80&#43CD206&#43) nas lesões cutâneas comparado com os demais grupos. Juntos, estes dados sugerem que no DT1 os leucotrienos contribuem para a inflamação sistêmica e reprogramação dos monócitos e macrófagos para perfil inflamatório e isto está associado com aumento do metabolismo energético nestas células. Estas alterações induzidas nos macrófagos pelos níveis elevados de leucotrienos, particularmente LTB4, se correlacionam com a cicatrização deficiente, com a perda de gordura e hiperlipidemia nos camundongos DT1, sugerindo que o LTB4 possa ser um alvo terapêutico no diabetes. / Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is a metabolic disease associated to systemic low grade inflammation, which has an important role in co-morbidities. Our group showed that this inflammation depends on the high systemic levels of leukotriene-B4 (LTB4), which stimulateds MyD88/Stat1 axis, amplifying TLR/IL1&#946 response in macrophages. This characterizes pro inflammatory M1 program, which requires energy from glycolysis, and produces harmful molecules, such as reactive oxygen species (ROS) and nitric oxide (NO). This can be mitigated by mitochondrial respiration uncoupled to ATP synthesis in lipid metabolism. Therefore, in the first part of this study, macrophages from T1D mice (C57Bl/6) expressed high levels of fatty acid oxidation markers, which was not observed in macrophages from T1D mice treated with LTB4 receptor antagonis, u75302. Moreover, u75302 also reduced the high expression od CD36, a receptor involved in lipids uptake, and also reduced intracellular lipids in these cells. The high levels of triglycerides in diabetic plasma were reduced by u75302, and this is consistent with lipolysis markers (Prdm16 and Fgf21) in white adipose tissue of these mice. This was also consistent with results obtained in macrophages from diabetic UCP1 deficient mice, which had higher body weight and lower mitochondrial metabolism then WT diabetics. Fat loss was also recovered by u75302 treatment, indicating an involvement of LTB4 in adiposity loss and dyslipidemia in T1D. In the second part of this study, we confirmed leukotrienes participation in systemic inflammation in T1D streptozotocin-induced. T1D mice (129SvE) increased systemic levels of cytokines, which was not observed in T1D 5-lipoxygenase deficient mice (5LO-/-).The frequency of pro inflammatory monocytes (CD11b&#43Ly6ChighLy6G-) was increased in WT diabetic mice, but not in 5LO-/-. Resident peritoneal macrophages in diabetics had a phenotype similar to M1 classically activated (Nos2 and Stat1 highly expressed, and high production of NO), which was not reversed by IL-4 stimulation in vitro and in vivo. On the other hand, macrophages from diabetic 5LO-/- had a phenotype M2 alternatively activated (Ym1 and Arg1 highly expressed, and high arginase activity). WT diabetic mice had a defective wound healing, which was related to low frequency of M2 (CD45&#43F4/80&#43CD206&#43) macrophages in cutaneous wounds, compared to the other groups. All together, our data suggest that in T1D leukotrienes induce systemic inflammation, and reprogram pro inflammatory phenotype in monocytes and macrophages, and this is related to increased energetic metabolism in these cells. These alteration in macrophages due to leukotrienes effects, mainly LTB4, are correlated to defective healing, with fat loss, and dyslipidemia in T1D mice, suggesting that LTB4 can be a therapeutic target in diabetes.

Les médiateurs lipidiques de l’inflammation dont le leucotriène B4 (LTB4) et le facteur d’activation plaquettaire (PAF) permettent la régulation de la migration des neutrophiles polymorphonucléaires (PMNs) et l’extravasation plasmatique au site inflammatoire. Afin de déterminer leurs rôles dans la régulation de la migration des PMNs au site inflammatoire, nous avons étudié leur effet potentiellement coopératif en utilisant une approche pharmacologique à l’aide d’antagonistes sélectifs des récepteurs du LTB4 et du PAF dans un modèle d’inflammation dermique chez le lapin. Les résultats montrent un effet inhibiteur additif des antagonistes des deux médiateurs lipidiques, lorsque utilisés de façon concomitante, sur la migration des neutrophiles induite par le LTB4, le PAF et aussi sur des médiateurs non-chimiquement apparentés comme le facteur nécrosant des tumeurs (TNFα), ainsi que sur l'inhibition de l’extravasation plasmatique induite par le leucotriène D4, suggérant un rôle régulateur des récepteurs du LTB4 et du PAF dans la migration des PMNs au site inflammatoire. Nous avons déterminé le rôle de ces médiateurs dans la régulation de la migration des PMNs en réponse à une ischémie-reperfusion des membres inferieurs chez le lapin. Les résultats appuient l’hypothèse selon laquelle le LTB4 et le PAF exercent un rôle important dans l’accumulation des PMNs au site inflammatoire. En effet l’administration concomitante des antagonistes des récepteurs de ces deux médiateurs lipidiques a réduit de façon significative la migration des PMNs aux poumons, intestins et foie. Nos résultats contribuent à élucider le rôle du LTB4 et du PAF dans la régulation de l’extravasation des PMNs et du plasma au site inflammatoire. / Inflammatory lipid mediators including leucotriene B4 (LTB4) and platelet activating factor (PAF) regulate the trafficking of polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) and plasma extravasation at inflammatory sites. To delineate their role in regulating PMNs extravasation, we studied the effect of PAF and/or LTB4 selective receptor antagonists in dermal inflammation induced by a variety of agonists in a rabbit bioassay model. The results show that there is an additive inhibitory effect when the two antagonists are used concomitantly on PMNs dermal accumulation induced by LTB4 and PAF, as well by chemically unrelated agonists including TNFα, in addition to inhibiting plasma extravasation induced by LTD4. These results support a regulatory role of LTB4 and PAF in regulating PMNs trafficking and plasma extravasation at inflammatory sites. Next, we studied the regulatory role of lipid mediators in regulating PMNs trafficking in response to hind limb ischemia-reperfusion. The results show that the administration of both PAF and LTB4 receptor antagonists reduced significantly PMNs migration to the lung, the liver and the intestine. Our results contributed to elucidate the role of LTB4 and PAF in the regulation of PMNs migration and oedema formation at inflammatory sites.

Les médiateurs lipidiques de l’inflammation dont le leucotriène B4 (LTB4) et le facteur d’activation plaquettaire (PAF) permettent la régulation de la migration des neutrophiles polymorphonucléaires (PMNs) et l’extravasation plasmatique au site inflammatoire. Afin de déterminer leurs rôles dans la régulation de la migration des PMNs au site inflammatoire, nous avons étudié leur effet potentiellement coopératif en utilisant une approche pharmacologique à l’aide d’antagonistes sélectifs des récepteurs du LTB4 et du PAF dans un modèle d’inflammation dermique chez le lapin. Les résultats montrent un effet inhibiteur additif des antagonistes des deux médiateurs lipidiques, lorsque utilisés de façon concomitante, sur la migration des neutrophiles induite par le LTB4, le PAF et aussi sur des médiateurs non-chimiquement apparentés comme le facteur nécrosant des tumeurs (TNFα), ainsi que sur l'inhibition de l’extravasation plasmatique induite par le leucotriène D4, suggérant un rôle régulateur des récepteurs du LTB4 et du PAF dans la migration des PMNs au site inflammatoire. Nous avons déterminé le rôle de ces médiateurs dans la régulation de la migration des PMNs en réponse à une ischémie-reperfusion des membres inferieurs chez le lapin. Les résultats appuient l’hypothèse selon laquelle le LTB4 et le PAF exercent un rôle important dans l’accumulation des PMNs au site inflammatoire. En effet l’administration concomitante des antagonistes des récepteurs de ces deux médiateurs lipidiques a réduit de façon significative la migration des PMNs aux poumons, intestins et foie. Nos résultats contribuent à élucider le rôle du LTB4 et du PAF dans la régulation de l’extravasation des PMNs et du plasma au site inflammatoire. / Inflammatory lipid mediators including leucotriene B4 (LTB4) and platelet activating factor (PAF) regulate the trafficking of polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) and plasma extravasation at inflammatory sites. To delineate their role in regulating PMNs extravasation, we studied the effect of PAF and/or LTB4 selective receptor antagonists in dermal inflammation induced by a variety of agonists in a rabbit bioassay model. The results show that there is an additive inhibitory effect when the two antagonists are used concomitantly on PMNs dermal accumulation induced by LTB4 and PAF, as well by chemically unrelated agonists including TNFα, in addition to inhibiting plasma extravasation induced by LTD4. These results support a regulatory role of LTB4 and PAF in regulating PMNs trafficking and plasma extravasation at inflammatory sites. Next, we studied the regulatory role of lipid mediators in regulating PMNs trafficking in response to hind limb ischemia-reperfusion. The results show that the administration of both PAF and LTB4 receptor antagonists reduced significantly PMNs migration to the lung, the liver and the intestine. Our results contributed to elucidate the role of LTB4 and PAF in the regulation of PMNs migration and oedema formation at inflammatory sites.

Contexte - La prévalence de la maladie de Crohn (MC), une maladie inflammatoire chronique du tube digestif, chez les enfants canadiens se situe parmi les plus élevées au monde. Les interactions entre les réponses immunes innées et acquises aux microbes de l'hôte pourraient être à la base de la transition de l’inflammation physiologique à une inflammation pathologique. Le leucotriène B4 (LTB4) est un modulateur clé de l'inflammation et a été associé à la MC. Nous avons postulé que les principaux gènes impliqués dans la voie métabolique du LTB4 pourrait conférer une susceptibilité accrue à l'apparition précoce de la MC. Dans cette étude, nous avons exploré les associations potentielles entre les variantes de l'ADN des gènes ALOX5 et CYP4F2 et la survenue précoce de la MC. Nous avons également examiné si les gènes sélectionnés montraient des effets parent-d'origine, influençaient les phénotypes cliniques de la MC et s'il existait des interactions gène-gène qui modifieraient la susceptibilité à développer la MC chez l’enfant. Méthodes – Dans le cadre d’une étude de cas-parents et de cas-témoins, des cas confirmés, leurs parents et des contrôles ont été recrutés à partir de trois cliniques de gastro-entérologie à travers le Canada. Les associations entre les polymorphismes de remplacement d'un nucléotide simple (SNP) dans les gènes CYP4F2 et ALOX5 ont été examinées. Les associations allélique et génotypiques ont été examinées à partir d’une analyse du génotype conditionnel à la parenté (CPG) pour le résultats cas-parents et à l’aide de table de contingence et de régression logistique pour les données de cas-contrôles. Les interactions gène-gène ont été explorées à l'aide de méthodes de réduction multi-factorielles de dimensionnalité (MDR). Résultats – L’étude de cas-parents a été menée sur 160 trios. L’analyse CPG pour 14 tag-SNP (10 dans la CYP4F2 et 4 dans le gène ALOX5) a révélé la présence d’associations alléliques ou génotypique significatives entre 3 tag-SNP dans le gène CYP4F2 (rs1272, p = 0,04, rs3093158, p = 0.00003, et rs3093145, p = 0,02). Aucune association avec les SNPs de ALOX5 n’a pu être démontrée. L’analyse de l’haplotype de CYP4F2 a montré d'importantes associations avec la MC (test omnibus p = 0,035). Deux haplotypes (GAGTTCGTAA, p = 0,05; GGCCTCGTCG, p = 0,001) montraient des signes d'association avec la MC. Aucun effet parent-d'origine n’a été observé. Les tentatives de réplication pour trois SNPs du gene CYP4F2 dans l'étude cas-témoins comportant 225 cas de MC et 330 contrôles suggèrent l’association dans un de ceux-ci (rs3093158, valeur non-corrigée de p du test unilatéral = 0,03 ; valeur corrigée de p = 0.09). La combinaison des ces deux études a révélé des interactions significatives entre les gènes CYP4F2, ALOX et NOD2. Nous n’avons pu mettre en évidence aucune interaction gène-sexe, de même qu’aucun gène associé aux phénotypes cliniques de la MC n’a pu être identifié. Conclusions - Notre étude suggère que la CYP4F2, un membre clé de la voie métabolique LTB4 est un gène candidat potentiel pour MC. Nous avons également pu mettre en évidence que les interactions entre les gènes de l'immunité adaptative (CYP4F2 et ALOX5) et les gènes de l'immunité innée (NOD2) modifient les risques de MC chez les enfants. D'autres études sur des cohortes plus importantes sont nécessaires pour confirmer ces conclusions. / Background - The rates of Crohn’s disease (CD) a chronic inflammatory disease of the gastrointestinal tract, among Canadian children are the world’s highest. Interactions between the host microbial–innate-immune-responses are thought to underplay transition from physiological to pathological inflammation. Leukotriene B4 (LTB4) is a key modulator of inflammation and has been shown to be associated with CD. We postulated that key genes involved in the LTB4 metabolic pathway could confer susceptibility for early-onset CD. In this study we implemented a candidate gene approach to test for associations between DNA variants in the ALOX5 and CYP4F2 genes and early-onset of CD. We also explored whether the selected genes demonstrated parent-of-origin effects, influenced CD clinical phenotypes and whether there were gender-gene and gene-gene interactions that determined CD susceptibility. Methods – The study consisted of an exploratory phase (case-parent design) followed by a replication phase (case-control design). Confirmed cases, parents and controls were recruited from three tertiary gastroenterology clinics across Canada. Associations between tag-single nucleotide polymorphisms in the CYP4F2 and ALOX5 genes were examined. Allelic and/or genotype associations were examined using conditional on parental genotype (CPG) analysis for the case-parent data and contingency table and logistic regression for the case-control data. Gene-gene interactions were explored using multi-factor dimensionality reduction (MDR) methods. Results – The first phase of the study was based on 160 trios (case-parent design). CPG analysis for 14 tag-SNPs (i.e. 10 in the CYP4F2 and 4 in the ALOX5 gene, respectively) revealed significant allelic or genotypic associations between 3 tag-SNPs in the CYP4F2 gene (rs1272, p=0.04, rs3093158, p=0.00003, and rs3093145, p=0.02). No associations with ALOX5 tag-SNPs were evident. CYP4F2-haplotype analysis showed significant associations with CD (omnibus test p-value=0.035). Two specific haplotypes (GAGTTCGTAA, p=0.05; GGCCTCGTCG, p=0.001) showed evidence for association with CD. No parent-of-origin effects were observed. The second phase of the study retested the three CYP4F2 SNPs that showed association in the first stage and was based on 223 CD cases and 330 controls. Some indications of association with one SNP i.e. rs3093158 were present (genotypic uncorrected 1-sided p-value=0.03); however this genotype association did not withstand correction. Combining cases from the two phases of the study revealed significant interactions between the CYP4F2, ALOX and NOD2 genes. No gene-gender interactions were obvious nor were the study genes associated with specific clinical phenotypes of CD. Conclusions - Our study suggests that the CYP4F2, a key member of the LTB4 metabolic pathway is a potential candidate gene for CD. Furthermore there was evidence that interactions between adaptive immunity genes (CYP4F2 and ALOX5) and innate immunity genes (NOD2) genes modify risk for CD in children. Further studies on larger cohorts are required to confirm these findings.

L’arthrose (OA) est une maladie dégénérative et multifactorielle caractérisée par une destruction de cartilage, une formation d’ostéophytes et une inflammation au niveau de la membrane synoviale. Le 4-hydroxynonénal (HNE), un produit final de la peroxydation lipidique, a été identifié récemment comme un facteur catabolique et un médiateur inflammatoire dans le cartilage arthrosique humain. Notre projet vise à étudier l’effet du HNE sur la régulation de la prostaglandine E2 synthase-1 microsomale (mPGES-1) et de la protéine activante 5-lipoxygénase (FLAP)/5-lipoxygénase (5-LOX) dans les chondrocytes arthrosiques humains. Lorsque les cellules sont traitées une seule fois avec 10 µM HNE, les résultats de Western blot et de PCR en temps réel montrent que l’expression de la cyclooxygénase-2 (COX-2) et de la mPGES-1 augmente de manière significative et atteint respectivement le maximum après 8 et 16 heures d’incubation puis diminue graduellement. Cependant, lorsque les cellules sont traitées plusieurs fois avec 10 µM HNE à 2 heures d’intervalle, l’expression de la COX-2 et de la mPGES-1 augmente en fonction du temps sans subir une baisse après 24 heures d’incubation. Le HNE induit l’activité du promoteur de la mPGES-1 via l’activation du facteur de transcription Egr-1. L’investigation de la 2ème voie du métabolisme de l’acide arachidonique, à savoir 5-LOX/FLAP, montre que le HNE induit l’expression de FLAP après 24 heures de stimulation et celle de 5-LOX seulement après 48 heures. Ceci semble survenir à l’étape de transcription au cours de laquelle HNE induit l’expression de l’ARNm et l’activité du promoteur du gène 5-LOX. Nous avons démontré aussi que le niveau de leukotriène B4 (LTB4) augmente et suit le même profil que celui de la 5-LOX. L’étude des mécanismes moléculaires susceptibles d’être impliqués dans la régulation de la 5-LOX/FLAP par le HNE montre que ce dernier stimule leur expression via l’action de prostaglandine E2 (PGE2) et du facteur de croissance transformant-beta 1 (TGF-β1). En conclusion, notre étude démontre que le HNE induit à court-terme d’incubation la voie de COX-2/mPGES-1 puis par la suite stimule celle de FLAP/5-LOX à long-terme d’incubation dans les chondrocytes arthrosiques humains. Ces résultats suggèrent que la mPGES-1 et 5-LOX/FLAP sont des potentielles cibles thérapeutiques intéressantes pour contrôler la production de PGE2 et LTB4 dans OA. / 4-hydroxynonenal (HNE), a lipid peroxidation end-product, is produced abundantly in osteoarthritic (OA) articular tissues. Recently, we reported that HNE-induced cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) decreased gradually in human OA chondrocytes after 8 h of incubation. This study aimed to investigate whether COX-2 down-regulation is attributed to HNE depletion and is responsible for the switch from COX-2 to 5-lipoxygenase-activating protein (FLAP)/5-lipoxygenase (5-LOX). Treatment of chondrocytes with 10 µM HNE induced prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) release as well as COX-2 and microsomal prostaglandin E2 synthase-1 (mPGES-1) expression at the protein and mRNA levels, with a plateau reached at 8-16 h of incubation, followed by a subsequent decline. However, 8 repeated treatments with 10 µM HNE prevented the reduction of COX-2 and mPGES-1 expression. We demonstrated that HNE induced mPGES-1 promoter activity mainly through transcription factor Egr-1 activation. On the other hand, when COX-2 expression decreased, leukotriene B4 (LTB4) level rose after a long period of stimulation (48 and 72 h). At the mRNA level, HNE induced FLAP and 5-LOX expression after 24 and 48 h of stimulation, respectively. The addition of a nonspecific COX-2 inhibitor (naproxen) to cultured chondrocytes revealed that FLAP and 5-LOX regulation by HNE required PGE2 production. Furthermore, our data showed that 10 µM HNE significantly induced transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-β1) production. The addition of anti-TGF-β antibody to culture medium reduced HNE-induced 5-LOX/FLAP expression by 40%, indicating the involvement of a TGF-β1-dependent mechanism. Our data demonstrate that the shunt to the FLAP/5-LOX pathway in HNE-induced human OA chondrocytes is attributed to COX-2 inhibition, probably due to HNE depletion. PGE2 and TGF-β1 are suggested to be involved in this regulation. Further experiments are in progress to determine other molecular mechanisms underlying this switch in OA chondrocytes.

Contexte - La prévalence de la maladie de Crohn (MC), une maladie inflammatoire chronique du tube digestif, chez les enfants canadiens se situe parmi les plus élevées au monde. Les interactions entre les réponses immunes innées et acquises aux microbes de l'hôte pourraient être à la base de la transition de l’inflammation physiologique à une inflammation pathologique. Le leucotriène B4 (LTB4) est un modulateur clé de l'inflammation et a été associé à la MC. Nous avons postulé que les principaux gènes impliqués dans la voie métabolique du LTB4 pourrait conférer une susceptibilité accrue à l'apparition précoce de la MC. Dans cette étude, nous avons exploré les associations potentielles entre les variantes de l'ADN des gènes ALOX5 et CYP4F2 et la survenue précoce de la MC. Nous avons également examiné si les gènes sélectionnés montraient des effets parent-d'origine, influençaient les phénotypes cliniques de la MC et s'il existait des interactions gène-gène qui modifieraient la susceptibilité à développer la MC chez l’enfant. Méthodes – Dans le cadre d’une étude de cas-parents et de cas-témoins, des cas confirmés, leurs parents et des contrôles ont été recrutés à partir de trois cliniques de gastro-entérologie à travers le Canada. Les associations entre les polymorphismes de remplacement d'un nucléotide simple (SNP) dans les gènes CYP4F2 et ALOX5 ont été examinées. Les associations allélique et génotypiques ont été examinées à partir d’une analyse du génotype conditionnel à la parenté (CPG) pour le résultats cas-parents et à l’aide de table de contingence et de régression logistique pour les données de cas-contrôles. Les interactions gène-gène ont été explorées à l'aide de méthodes de réduction multi-factorielles de dimensionnalité (MDR). Résultats – L’étude de cas-parents a été menée sur 160 trios. L’analyse CPG pour 14 tag-SNP (10 dans la CYP4F2 et 4 dans le gène ALOX5) a révélé la présence d’associations alléliques ou génotypique significatives entre 3 tag-SNP dans le gène CYP4F2 (rs1272, p = 0,04, rs3093158, p = 0.00003, et rs3093145, p = 0,02). Aucune association avec les SNPs de ALOX5 n’a pu être démontrée. L’analyse de l’haplotype de CYP4F2 a montré d'importantes associations avec la MC (test omnibus p = 0,035). Deux haplotypes (GAGTTCGTAA, p = 0,05; GGCCTCGTCG, p = 0,001) montraient des signes d'association avec la MC. Aucun effet parent-d'origine n’a été observé. Les tentatives de réplication pour trois SNPs du gene CYP4F2 dans l'étude cas-témoins comportant 225 cas de MC et 330 contrôles suggèrent l’association dans un de ceux-ci (rs3093158, valeur non-corrigée de p du test unilatéral = 0,03 ; valeur corrigée de p = 0.09). La combinaison des ces deux études a révélé des interactions significatives entre les gènes CYP4F2, ALOX et NOD2. Nous n’avons pu mettre en évidence aucune interaction gène-sexe, de même qu’aucun gène associé aux phénotypes cliniques de la MC n’a pu être identifié. Conclusions - Notre étude suggère que la CYP4F2, un membre clé de la voie métabolique LTB4 est un gène candidat potentiel pour MC. Nous avons également pu mettre en évidence que les interactions entre les gènes de l'immunité adaptative (CYP4F2 et ALOX5) et les gènes de l'immunité innée (NOD2) modifient les risques de MC chez les enfants. D'autres études sur des cohortes plus importantes sont nécessaires pour confirmer ces conclusions. / Background - The rates of Crohn’s disease (CD) a chronic inflammatory disease of the gastrointestinal tract, among Canadian children are the world’s highest. Interactions between the host microbial–innate-immune-responses are thought to underplay transition from physiological to pathological inflammation. Leukotriene B4 (LTB4) is a key modulator of inflammation and has been shown to be associated with CD. We postulated that key genes involved in the LTB4 metabolic pathway could confer susceptibility for early-onset CD. In this study we implemented a candidate gene approach to test for associations between DNA variants in the ALOX5 and CYP4F2 genes and early-onset of CD. We also explored whether the selected genes demonstrated parent-of-origin effects, influenced CD clinical phenotypes and whether there were gender-gene and gene-gene interactions that determined CD susceptibility. Methods – The study consisted of an exploratory phase (case-parent design) followed by a replication phase (case-control design). Confirmed cases, parents and controls were recruited from three tertiary gastroenterology clinics across Canada. Associations between tag-single nucleotide polymorphisms in the CYP4F2 and ALOX5 genes were examined. Allelic and/or genotype associations were examined using conditional on parental genotype (CPG) analysis for the case-parent data and contingency table and logistic regression for the case-control data. Gene-gene interactions were explored using multi-factor dimensionality reduction (MDR) methods. Results – The first phase of the study was based on 160 trios (case-parent design). CPG analysis for 14 tag-SNPs (i.e. 10 in the CYP4F2 and 4 in the ALOX5 gene, respectively) revealed significant allelic or genotypic associations between 3 tag-SNPs in the CYP4F2 gene (rs1272, p=0.04, rs3093158, p=0.00003, and rs3093145, p=0.02). No associations with ALOX5 tag-SNPs were evident. CYP4F2-haplotype analysis showed significant associations with CD (omnibus test p-value=0.035). Two specific haplotypes (GAGTTCGTAA, p=0.05; GGCCTCGTCG, p=0.001) showed evidence for association with CD. No parent-of-origin effects were observed. The second phase of the study retested the three CYP4F2 SNPs that showed association in the first stage and was based on 223 CD cases and 330 controls. Some indications of association with one SNP i.e. rs3093158 were present (genotypic uncorrected 1-sided p-value=0.03); however this genotype association did not withstand correction. Combining cases from the two phases of the study revealed significant interactions between the CYP4F2, ALOX and NOD2 genes. No gene-gender interactions were obvious nor were the study genes associated with specific clinical phenotypes of CD. Conclusions - Our study suggests that the CYP4F2, a key member of the LTB4 metabolic pathway is a potential candidate gene for CD. Furthermore there was evidence that interactions between adaptive immunity genes (CYP4F2 and ALOX5) and innate immunity genes (NOD2) genes modify risk for CD in children. Further studies on larger cohorts are required to confirm these findings.