Alpha-Melanocyte Stimulating Hormone (α-MSH) is an anti-inflammatory neuropeptide that is produced by the Retinal Pigment Epithelium (RPE). This neuropeptide has been found to reduce inflammation and severity of Experimental Autoimmune Uveitis (EAU) mice and inflammation in other ocular pathologies. In many of these inflammatory diseases, there are mechanisms, which may demonstrate the existence of innate immune memory. Innate immune memory is associated with an epigenetic gene modification that regulates cytokine production in subsequent restimulation of the innate immune cells. In trained innate immunity, the restimulated innate immune cell suppressed pro-inflammatory cytokine production while producing anti-inflammatory cytokines. When the macrophage cell line RAW 264.7 was treated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS), it stimulates an immune response with the production of Nitric Oxide (NO•), and interleukins such as IL-1β and IL-10. The results showed statistically significant differences in the production of NO• between RAW 264.7 cells treated with α-MSH and the untreated cells. The results of IL-1β were not statistically different between the amounts produced between the untreated and the α-MSH treated cells. For IL-10, there were statistically significant and suggested that α-MSH may have a role in creating greater amounts of IL-10 upon restimulation in the presence of α-MSH and LPS, leading to enhancement of anti-inflammatory mechanisms, demonstrating innate immune memory.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bu.edu/oai:open.bu.edu:2144/45576 |
| Date | 04 February 2023 |
| Creators | Khan, Mirza Farhan Ali |
| Contributors | Taylor, Andrew W., Trinkaus-Randall, Vickery |
| Source Sets | Boston University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
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