Immunopathological effects of porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) on swine alveolar macrophages by in vitro inoculation

Porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) is the primary causative agent of postweaning multisystemic wasting syndrome (PMWS), a multifactorial disease, in pigs. Monocyte/macrophage lineage cells, including alveolar macrophages (AMs), are the major target cells for PCV2. Swine AMs are essential for the pulmonary defense system against various pathogens. Concurrent infection of lung with opportunistic pathogens in pigs suffered from PMWS is speculated as a feature of immunosuppression. The present study was conducted to characterize the effects of PCV2 inoculation on swine AMs in the in vitro system. The parameters selected for evaluation included PCV2 antigen- and nucleic acid-containing rate, viability, TUNEL-positive rate, phagocytosis, microbicidal capability, and capacity for production of reactive oxygen species (superoxide anion, O₂⁻, and hydrogen peroxide, H₂O₂), cytokines, and chemokines. High intracytoplasmic PCV2 antigen- and nucleic acid-containing rate, absence of intranuclear signals for PCV2 antigen and nucleic acid, and lack of noticeable cell death were seen in PCV2-inoculated AMs. The PCV2-inoculated AMs displayed a transient as well as persistent reduction in the up-take and destruction of Candida albicans, respectively, accompanied by decrease in the production of O₂⁻ and H₂O₂. In PCV2-inoculated AMs, the levels of tumor necrosis- (TNF-) and interleukin-8 (IL-8) were significantly increased; the mRNA expression levels of alveolar macrophage-derived neutrophil chemotactic factors-II (AMCF-II), granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1), and IL-8 were strongly up-regulated. The reduced phagocytosis and microbicidal capability in conjunction with decreased production of reactive oxygen species in PCV2-inoculated AMs suggest that PCV2-containing AMs may favor the survival and spread of PCV2. It is speculated that the functional alterations observed in PCV2-containing AMs may be potentially harmful to the lung tissue and local pulmonary defense system, especially in those PCV2-infected pigs conditioned by various PMWS development-dependent co-factors.     

Expression of Toll-like receptors and downstream genes in lipopolysaccharide-induced porcine alveolar macrophages

The aim of the present study was to determine the age-related kinetic changes of Toll-like receptors (TLRs) and downstream genes expression, and secretion of cytokine in lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulated porcine alveolar macrophages (AM). For this purpose, AMs were isolated from 5-day-old newborn piglets and 120-day-old young pigs. mRNA expression and cytokine measurement was determined by quantitative real-time PCR and ELISA, respectively. First, AMs were incubated for 24 h in the absence or presence of increasing concentrations of LPS. Results showed the up-regulation of TLRs 2, 4, 5 and 9 mRNA from all concentrations of LPS used, as compared to non-stimulated cells, and TLR4 was the highest expression in both ages (P<0.05). Furthermore, quantitative analysis demonstrated increased expression of mRNAs encoding TLRs 2, 4, 5 and 9, LBP, CD14, MD2, MyD88, IRAK4 and TRAF6 in both ages in a time-dependant manner (P<0.05). Overall, LPS inducible mRNA for TLR4, LBP, CD14 and MyD88 had higher expression in newborn piglets compared with those of young pigs (P<0.05). The level of cytokine protein IL6 and TNFα in supernatant fluid significantly varied with time of incubation and age of animals. Their concentration increased immediately at 1 h after LPS stimulation and remained significantly higher up to 48 h in both ages. Production of pro-inflammatory cytokine protein IL6 and TNFα in supernatant was significantly higher in young pigs than those of piglets. This study suggests that differential age-related changes in the expression of TLRs and downstream genes, and pro-inflammatory cytokine could contribute to a different age-related innate immune response during pulmonary infection. Further investigation is warranted to determine the precise effects of LPS on porcine AMs by means of a functional study across a wider age range.     

Assessment of bovine mammary chemokine gene expression in response to lipopolysaccharide, lipotechoic acid + peptidoglycan, and CpG oligodeoxynucleotide 2135

During intramammary infections pathogen associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) induce an inflammatory response, recognized clinically as mastitis. Recognition of PAMPs by mammary cells leads to the production of the pro-inflammatory cytokines, TNF-α and IL-1β. These cytokines augment the secretion of various chemokines that are responsible for directing the host cellular immune response, and consequently the outcome of infection. Previous research has shown that gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria elicit different types of innate immune responses. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to characterize the expression of various chemokine genes in bovine mammary gland explants in response to lipopolysaccharide (LPS), peptidoglycan (PTG) combined with lipotechoic acid (LTA), and CpG oligodeoxynucleotide (CpG-ODN) 2135 representing gram-negative bacteria, gram-positive bacteria, and bacterial DNA, respectively, to determine if these PAMPs induce different chemokine gene expression patterns. Explants from 3 Holstein cows were cultured with 10 μg/mL of LPS, LTA + PTG, or CpG-ODN 2135 for 6 and 24 h. Total RNA was extracted and the expression of CXCL8, MCP-1, MCP-2, MCP-3, MIP1-α, and RANTES genes was measured by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Lipopolysaccharide significantly induced MCP-1, MCP-2, and MCP-3 expression, and slightly increased CXCL8 gene expression. The combined PAMPs, LTA + PTG, on the other hand, significantly induced MCP-1 gene expression, and slightly increased MCP-3 expression. No significant expression differences for any of the chemokine genes were observed in explants stimulated with CpG-ODN 2135. These results demonstrate that PAMPs associated with different mastitis-causing pathogens induce chemokine-specific gene expression patterns that may contribute to different innate immune responses to bacteria.     

Neutrophil recruitment in endotoxin-induced murine mastitis is strictly dependent on mammary alveolar macrophages

Mastitis, inflammation of the mammary tissue, is a common disease in dairy animals and mammary pathogenic Escherichia coli (MPEC) is a leading cause of the disease. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is an important virulence factor of MPEC and inoculation of the mammary glands with bacterial LPS is sufficient to induce an inflammatory response. We previously showed using adoptive transfer of normal macrophages into the mammary gland of TLR4-deficient C3H/HeJ mice that LPS/TLR4 signaling on mammary alveolar macrophages is sufficient to elicit neutrophil recruitment into the alveolar space. Here we show that TLR4-normal C3H/HeN mice, depleted of alveolar macrophages, were completely refractory to LPS intramammary challenge. These results indicate that alveolar macrophages are both sufficient and essential for neutrophil recruitment elicited by LPS/TLR4 signaling in the mammary gland. Using TNFα gene-knockout mice and adoptive transfer of wild-type macrophages, we show here that TNFα produced by mammary alveolar macrophages in response to LPS/TLR4 signaling is an essential mediator eliciting blood neutrophil recruitment into the milk spaces. Furthermore, using the IL8 receptor or IL1 receptor gene-knockout mice we observed abrogated recruitment of neutrophils into the mammary gland and their entrapment on the basal side of the alveolar epithelium in response to intramammary LPS challenge. Adoptive transfer of wild-type neutrophils to IL1 receptor knockout mice, just before LPS challenge, restored normal neutrophil recruitment into the milk spaces. We conclude that neutrophil recruitment to the milk spaces is: (i) mediated through TNFα, which is produced by alveolar macrophages in response to LPS/TLR4 signaling and (ii) is dependent on IL8 and IL1β signaling and regulated by iNOS-derived NO.     

在猪肺泡巨噬细胞上Notch信号通路调控LPS诱导的炎性反应研究

Notch信号通路可以与TLR信号通路相互作用,协作调控炎性因子的产生以及巨噬细胞的激活.然而,在猪巨噬细胞上,Notcb信号通路是如何调控炎性反应的还不清楚.本研究以LPS/TLR4诱导炎性反应为模型,利用猪肺泡巨噬细胞来研究LPS处理对Notch信号通路的影响及Notch信号通路对LPS诱导炎性反应的调控作用.结果...     

Expression dynamics of Toll-like receptors mRNA and cytokines in porcine peripheral blood mononuclear cells stimulated by bacterial lipopolysaccharide

The Toll-like receptor (TLR)4 is critical for the recognition of Gram-negative bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) but in porcine peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) it may cooperate with other TLRs and lead to the production of inflammatory cytokines. Therefore, we analyzed TLR1-10 mRNA expression in porcine PBMCs stimulated with LPS over time (1-48 h) by using quantitative real-time PCR and cytokine proteins level by ELISA in culture supernatant. TLR1-10 mRNA was detectable in porcine PBMCs. When compared with the control (non-stimulated), TLR1 mRNA were increased (p<0.05) at 3 h after challenge with 1 μg/ml LPS, whereas TLR1 and TLR2 mRNA were increased (p<0.01) at 6 h after challenge with 10 μg/ml LPS. TLR4 increased (p<0.001) at 3h after challenge with LPS and remained constant. TLR5 and TLR6 mRNA increased (p<0.05) at 9 h and 1 h after of LPS stimulation, respectively. The mRNA of CD14 and MD2 were increased (p<0.001) at 1h after LPS stimulation. Additionally, at most of the time analyzed, the mRNA expression increased with the dose of LPS. The LPS concentration had influence (p<0.05) on all the TLRs expression except TLR10; whereas time had effect (p<0.05) on all TLRs expression except TLR2, 3, 6 and 10. When compared to the control, the cytokines IL1b, IL8 and TNFα proteins were increased (p<0.001) immediately at 1 h after LPS stimulation and remained constant till 48 h. IL12b was increased (p<0.001) 12 h after challenge with 10 μg/ml of LPS. Although IL8 level was the highest, the higher (p<0.05) expression of all these inflammatory cytokines indicate that upon interacting with TLRs, LPS exerted inflammatory response in PBMCs through the production of Th1 type cytokines. The production of cytokines was influenced (p<0.001) by both the dose of LPS and the stimulation time. Hence, the porcine PBMCs are likely able to express all members of TLRs.     

小鼠急性肺损伤造模条件的探究

为探究构建急性肺损伤模型的条件,本试验选用健康昆明小鼠,经腹腔注射递增剂量脂多糖（LPS）（0、2、4、6、8、10 mg/kg）,观察不同条件下小鼠呼吸频率、死亡率、肺脏干湿重比值及组织结构变化,检测炎症因子IL-10、TNF-α、IL-1β及IFN-γ在不同程度肺损伤中的表达量变化。结果显示,4 mg/kg LPS组肺脏干湿重比值显著高于对照组（P<0.05）;6、8和10 m/kg LPS组肺脏干湿重比值极显著高于对照组（P<0.01）。病理切片分析显示,6 mg/kg LPS组小鼠肺脏出现充血,肺泡腔及肺间质出现渗出,肺泡隔增厚,出现少量中性粒细胞浸润;8、10 mg/kg LPS组小鼠肺脏充血明显,肺泡腔及肺间质出现渗出,肺泡明显隔增厚,出现中性粒细胞浸润;与对照组相比,6、8、10 mg/kg LPS组肺组织中胶原纤维大量增多,且多出现在肺气管周围,10 mg/kg LPS组现象最明显。炎症因子检测分析结果显示,与对照组相比,2、4、6、8、10 mg/kg LPS组炎症因子均极显著增加（P<0.01）。结合病理组织切片及相关检测指标表明,昆明小鼠腹腔注射8 mg/kg LPS并作用12 h,可成功构建急性肺损伤模型。     

Study on the Building Conditions of Acute Lung Injury in Mice

In order to explore the building conditions of acute lung injury, healthy Kunming mice were selected, by intraperitoneal injection of cascade dose of LPS (0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 mg/kg) to observe the mice respiratory frequency, mortality, lung W/D value and the changes of tissue structure in different conditions, and detect the expression changes of inflammation cytokine, IL-10,TNF-α, IL-1β and IFN-γ. The results showed that compared with control group, lung W/D value in 4 mg/kg LPS group significantly increased (P<0.05) and lung W/D values in 6, 8 and 10 mg/kg LPS groups extremely significantly increased (P<0.01). Pathological analysis showed that 6 mg/kg LPS group appeared lung congestion, alveolar luminal and pulmonary interstitial exudation, alveolar septal thickening, and a small amount of neutrophil infiltration. 8 and 10 mg/kg LPS groups appeared pulmonary congestion, alveolar and pulmonary interstitial exudation, alveolar septal thickening and neutrophil infiltration. Compared with control group, collagen fibers of the lung tissue in 6, 8, 10 mg/kg LPS group increased, and more appeared in the lung around the trachea, 10 mg/kg LPS group was the most obvious. The inflammatory factors in 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 mg/kg LPS groups had extremely significantly increased compared with control group (P<0.01). Pathological biopsy and related indicators showed that the model of mice could be successfully constructed by intraperitoneal injection of 8 mg/kg LPS for 12 h.     

The equine alveolar macrophage: Functional and phenotypic comparisons with peritoneal macrophages

Alveolar macrophages (AMs) constitute the first line of defence in the lung of all species, playing a crucial role in the regulation of immune responses to inhaled pathogens. A detailed understanding of the function and phenotype of AMs is a necessary pre-requisite to both elucidating their role in preventing opportunistic bacterial colonisation of the lower respiratory tract and developing appropriate preventative strategies. The purpose of the study was to characterise this important innate immune cell at the tissue level by making functional and phenotypic comparisons with peritoneal macrophages (PMs). We hypothesised that the tissue of origin determines a unique phenotype of AMs, which may constitute an appropriate therapeutic target for certain equine respiratory diseases. Macrophages isolated from the lung and the peritoneal cavity of 9 horses were stimulated with various toll like receptor (TLR) ligands and the production of nitrite, tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNFα), interleukin (IL) 10 and indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) were measured by the Griess reaction and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and/or quantitative polymerase chain reaction, respectively. Cells were also compared on the basis of phagocytic-capacity and the expression of several cell surface markers. AMs, but not PMs, demonstrated increased TNFα release following stimulation with LPS, polyinosinic polycytidylic acid (Poly IC) and heat-killed Salmonella typhinurium and increased TNFα and IDO mRNA expression when stimulated with LPS. AMs showed high expression of the specific macrophage markers cluster of differentiation (CD) 14, CD163 and TLR4, whereas PMs showed high expression of TLR4 only. AMs, but not PMs, demonstrated efficient phagocytic activity. Our results demonstrate that AMs are more active than PMs when stimulated with various pro-inflammatory ligands, thus supporting the importance of the local microenvironment in the activation status of the macrophage. This information provides a valuable knowledge base on which to improve our understanding of the role of macrophages and their microenvironment in equine innate immunity.     

壳寡糖与屎肠球菌对肉仔鸡生长性能、免疫功能及肠道短链脂肪酸含量的影响

本试验旨在探究饲粮中添加壳寡糖(COS)和鸡源屎肠球菌PNC01(PNC)对脂多糖(LPS)诱导的肉鸡炎症反应的调节作用。选取1日龄健康且体重相近的AA公雏560羽,采用2(LPS刺激/非LPS刺激)×2(添加COS/不添加COS)×2(添加PNC/不添加PNC)三因素试验设计,共8个处理,每处理7重复,每重复10只鸡,试验期21 d。采用玉米-豆粕型基础饲粮,试验饲粮分别在基础日粮基础上添加COS(200 mg/kg)和PNC(1×10~9 CFU/kg)。于试验第17、19、21天,刺激组腹腔注射LPS(1 mg/kg体重),对照组注射等量生理盐水。结果表明:LPS刺激降低肉鸡采食量(P<0.01),破坏肠道形态,降低盲肠食糜中丁酸含量和血清IgA水平(P<0.05),引起脾脏肿大,上调IL-1β和IL-8 mRNA表达(P<0.01);添加COS缓解LPS刺激肉鸡采食量的下降(P<0.05),提高盲肠丙酸和丁酸含量(P<0.05),COS降低脾脏指数和回肠IL-8mRNA表达量(P<0.05),有下调脾脏IL-1βmRNA表达的趋势(P<0.1);PNC可提高21 d肉鸡血清IgA含量(P<0.05),降低肉仔鸡脾脏指数(P<0.01);非LPS刺激时,同时添加COS和PNC可提高盲肠中乙酸含量(P<0.05)。可见,添加COS和PNC均能缓解LPS刺激导致的脾脏肿大,缓解炎症反应,改善LPS刺激对肉仔鸡的不利影响。     

Effect of lipopolysaccharide infusion on gene expression of inflammatory cytokines in normal horses in vivo

Horses are exquisitely sensitive to bacterial endotoxin and endotoxaemia is common in colic cases. In this study, gene expression of inflammatory cytokines was characterised in the blood of healthy horses following i.v. administration of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Six horses received an LPS infusion and 6 controls received an equivalent volume of saline. Gene expression of genes encoding interleukin (IL)‐1α, IL‐1β, IL‐6, IL‐8, and tumour necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α) was quantified by real‐time PCR. Gene expression of all inflammatory cytokines was upregulated following administration of LPS. Interleukin‐1α, IL‐1β, IL‐8 and TNF‐α gene expression peaked at 60 min, while IL‐6 expression peaked at 90 min post LPS infusion. Interleukin‐1β and IL‐6 messenger RNA expression levels were above the baseline values 3 h post LPS infusion, whereas IL‐1α, IL‐8 and TNF‐α expression levels returned to baseline values by 3 h after LPS infusion. It was concluded that LPS infusion upregulated gene expression of inflammatory cytokines in the blood of healthy horses.     

Quantitative Analysis of Interleukin-6 Expression in Porcine Spleen Cells and Alveolar Macrophages using Real-Time PCR

Interleukin-6 (IL-6), a multifocal cytokine produced by lymphoid and non-lymphoid cells, regulates immune responses, acute-phase reactions against bacterial infections, and haematopoiesis. After cloning and sequencing of porcine IL-6, the expression pattern of porcine IL-6 mRNA was evaluated through real-time RT-PCR using porcine immune cells (spleen cells and alveolar macrophages) following stimulation with LPS. The sequence has been reported to GenBank with Accession no. AF 518322. The nucleotide sequence was different at the 89th and 205th positions in comparison with M80258, but only at the 205th with M86722. Comparison of porcine IL-6, Accession no. AF 518322, with IL-6 of human, canine, ovine, and mouse showed homologies of 78%, 81%, 82% and 73% in nucleotide sequence and 42%, 69%, 61% and 42% in amino acids. Expression of IL-6 mRNA was induced by stimulation with LPS. IL-6 mRNA expression in alveolar macrophages peaked at 2 h and decreased sharply to control levels at 4 h, whereas it peaked at 14 h and decreased at 24 h in spleen cells after stimulation with LPS (1 microg/ml). These results suggest that IL-6 mRNA expression in porcine immune cells is cell-type specific and the results of this study could be used as the basis for research on the porcine immune system.     

Leptospiral lipopolysaccharide stimulates the expression of toll‐like receptor 2 and cytokines in pig fibroblasts

Pigs throughout the world are afflicted with leptospirosis, causing serious economic losses and potential hazards to human health. Although it has been known that leptospiral lipopolysaccharide (L‐LPS) is involved in an immunological reaction between an antigen and a host cell, little is known about how the immune system of pigs can respond to L‐LPS. Here, we stimulated pig fibroblasts by L‐LPS and then quantitatively measured gene and protein expression levels of two toll‐like receptors (TLRs), TLR2 and TLR4, by real‐time PCR and Western blotting. As a result, expression of TLR2 was found to be significantly up‐regulated within 24 h after L‐LPS stimulation whereas induction of TLR4 expression was relatively weak. We also revealed that of myeloid differentiation primary response gene 88 (MyD88), interleukin 6 (IL‐6) and IL‐8 gene expressions were markedly up‐regulated by L‐LPS stimulation. These results may suggest that the pig cell can activate TLR2 rather than TLR4 by L‐LPS stimulation, thereby inducing expression of cytokines.     

Construction and application of a bovine immune-endocrine cDNA microarray

A variety of commercial DNA arrays specific for humans and rodents are widely available; however, microarrays containing well-characterized genes to study pathway-specific gene expression are not as accessible for domestic animals, such as cattle, sheep and pigs. Therefore, a small-scale application-targeted bovine immune-endocrine cDNA array was developed to evaluate genetic pathways involved in the immune-endocrine axis of cattle during periods of altered homeostasis provoked by physiological or environmental stressors, such as infection, vaccination or disease. For this purpose, 167 cDNA sequences corresponding to immune, endocrine and inflammatory response genes were collected and categorized. Positive controls included 5 housekeeping genes (glyceraldehydes-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase, ribosomal protein L19, beta-actin, beta2-microglobulin) and bovine genomic DNA. Negative controls were a bacterial gene (Rhodococcus equi 17-kDa virulence-associated protein) and a partial sequence of the plasmid pACYC177. In addition, RNA extracted from un-stimulated, as well as superantigen (Staphylococcus aureus enterotoxin-A, S. aureus Cowan Pansorbin Cells) and mitogen-stimulated (LPS, ConA) bovine blood leukocytes was mixed, reverse transcribed and PCR amplified using gene-specific primers. The endocrine-associated genes were amplified from cDNA derived from un-stimulated bovine hypothalamus, pituitary, adrenal and thyroid gland tissues. The array was constructed in 4 repeating grids of 180 duplicated spots by coupling the PCR amplified 213-630 bp gene fragments onto poly-l-lysine coated glass slides. The bovine immune-endocrine arrays were standardized and preliminary gene expression profiles generated using Cy3 and Cy5 labelled cDNA from un-stimulated and ConA (5 microg/ml) stimulated PBMC of 4 healthy Holstein cows (2-4 replicate arrays/cow) in a time course study. Mononuclear cell-derived cytokine and chemokine (IL-2, IL-1alpha, TNFalpha, IFN-gamma, TGFbeta-1, MCP-1, MCP-2 and MIP-3alpha) mRNA exhibited a repeatable and consistently low expression in un-stimulated cells and at least a two-fold increased expression following 6 and 24 h ConA stimulation as compared to 0 h un-stimulated controls. In contrast, expression of antigen presenting molecules, MHC-DR, MHC-DQ and MHC-DY, were consistently at least two-fold lower following 6 and 24 h ConA stimulation. The only endocrine gene with differential expression following ConA stimulation was prolactin. Additionally, due to the high level of genetic homology between ovine, swine and bovine genes, RNA similarly acquired from sheep and pigs was evaluated and similar gene expression patterns were noted. These data demonstrate that this application-targeted array containing a set of well characterized genes can be used to determine the relative gene expression corresponding to immune-endocrine responses of cattle and related species, sheep and pigs.     

苜蓿素对脂多糖诱导下奶牛乳腺上皮细胞炎症和乳蛋白合成相关基因表达的影响

为分析苜蓿素对脂多糖诱导下体外培养奶牛乳腺上皮细胞抗炎和乳蛋白合成相关基因表达的影响,本研究将体外培养的奶牛乳腺上皮细胞分成4组,即基础培养基(对照)和基础培养基中分别加入1μg·m L-1LPS(L)、1μg·m L-1LPS+10μg·m L-1苜蓿素(L+T)和10μg·m L-1苜蓿素(T)。结果显示,1)与对照组相比,L组奶牛乳腺上皮细胞的活性显著下降(P0.05),而T组则显著升高(P0.01)。2)L+T组细胞的超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)活性显著高于L组(P0.01),而一氧化氮(NO)、丙二醛(MDA)含量则显著低于L组(P0.01)。3)LPS能够显著升高细胞的白细胞介素1β(IL-1β)、IL-6、肿瘤坏死因子α(TNF-α)、Toll样受体2(TLR2)、TLR4和髓样分化因子88(My D88)表达水平(P0.01),而添加苜蓿素能够显著降低IL-1β、TNF-α、TLR2和TLR4的表达水平(P0.01)。4)与对照组相比,T组细胞的酪氨酸激酶2(JAK2)、信号转导子和转录激活子5(STAT5)、雷帕霉素靶蛋白(m TOR)、真核细胞始动因子4E结合蛋白1(4EBP1)和核糖体S6蛋白激酶1(S6K1)表达量显著升高(P0.01),而碱性氨基酸转运载体1(CAT1)表达量显著降低(P0.01)。LPS能够显著降低细胞的CAT1、L型氨基酸转运载体1(LAT1)、STAT5、m TOR和4EBP1表达水平(P0.01或P0.05),而添加苜蓿素能够显著升高STAT5表达水平(P0.01)。结果表明,乳腺细胞在LPS刺激下,导致细胞内炎症因子基因表达升高和抑制乳蛋白合成相关基因的表达,而添加苜蓿素能够抑制乳腺细胞内炎症因子基因表达,但对乳蛋白合成的相关基因表达作用不明显;无LPS刺激下,添加苜蓿素能够提高乳腺细胞活性和促进乳蛋白合成相关基因的表达。     

Effect of strenuous exercise and ex vivo TLR3 and TLR4 stimulation on inflammatory gene expression in equine pulmonary leukocytes

The effects of strenuous exercise and ex vivo stimulation of TLR3 and TLR4 pathways on the expression of six inflammatory genes in equine pulmonary leukocytes were investigated. The genes tested were interferon-beta (IFN-β), interleukin-1-beta (IL-1β), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interferon gamma-induced protein 10 (IP-10), chemokine (c-c motif) ligand 5 (RANTES) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α). We hypothesized that strenuous exercise would modulate basal gene expression on one hand and modulate the response to bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and to polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid (Poly IC) on the other hand. Eight young Thoroughbred mares were selected for the experiment. Bronchoalveolar lavages were performed on horses 48 h before and 24h after the completion of treadmill exercise until fatigue. Differential counts were performed on the bronchoalveolar lavage cells. Real-time PCR was used to quantify cytokine expression in pulmonary leukocytes. Target gene expression was normalized to the expression of three housekeeping genes (HKG). There were no significant differences in the mRNA expression of the six cytokines between pre-exercise and post-exercise cells. LPS and Poly IC induced respectively significant increases of TNF-α, IFN-β, IL-6, IL-1β, and TNF-α, IFN-β, IP-10 and RANTES, both before and after exercise. However, exercise induced a significant decrease of the genes response to LPS and Poly IC. These findings may suggest that strenuous treadmill exercise exerts a deleterious effect on part of the pulmonary immune response in horses 24h following an intense physical activity.     

The anti-inflammatory effects of IV administered clenbuterol in horses with recurrent airway obstruction

Cyclic AMP elevating agents have been shown to exhibit anti-inflammatory properties in addition to functions such as bronchodilation. The aim of this study was to investigate this dual action of clenbuterol (CB; Ventipulmin) on horses affected with recurrent airway obstruction (RAO). Seven RAO susceptible horses received inhalation challenges with aerosolised lipopolysaccharide (LPS), hay dust suspension (HDS) and Aspergillus fumigatus antigen (AF) with and without prior treatment with intravenous CB. Data showed that CB exerted significant beneficial effects on lung function, total cell count (TCC) and bronchoalveolar lavage neutrophil influx. In addition, CB significantly decreased the expression of several pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines in the alveolar macrophages of RAO-susceptible horses after challenge with LPS and HDS, and increased the expression of interleukin-6, known to act as a pro-and anti-inflammatory cytokine, following different challenges. This anti-inflammatory activity of CB is of additive value to its currently recognised use in equine RAO.     

猪TLR5基因表达水平与F18大肠杆菌侵染关系分析

为了探究猪Toll样受体（Toll-like receptor 5,TLR5） 基因表达水平与F18大肠杆菌抗性的关系,试验通过不同血清型产肠毒素大肠杆菌（F18ab和F18ac）侵染猪小肠上皮细胞（IPEC-J2）,同时通过脂多糖（LPS）分别诱导IPEC-J2细胞4和8 h,利用实时荧光定量PCR检测TLR5基因表达水平变化,并利用Western blotting进行蛋白表达分析。结果显示,不同血清型大肠杆菌（F18ab和F18ac）菌体侵染IPEC-J2细胞后,TLR5基因表达水平均极显著上调（P<0.01）;LPS诱导IPEC-J2细胞4和8 h后,TLR5基因表达水平均极显著上调（P<0.01）,且在LPS诱导IPEC-J2细胞8 h后,TLR5基因表达水平明显高于诱导4 h。与对照组相比,细胞中TLR5蛋白的表达水平极显著上调（P<0.01）,与LPS诱导及F18大肠杆菌菌体刺激IPEC-J2细胞后mRNA表达水平结果相一致。本研究在细胞水平上分析了TLR5表达水平和F18大肠杆菌侵染的相关性,进一步证实猪TLR5基因的表达水平在细胞抵抗F18大肠杆菌的侵染过程中发挥了重要的调控作用,为今后关于TLR5基因功能及其在大肠杆菌腹泻遗传育种应用的研究奠定基础。     

The role of p38 mitogen-activated kinase (MAPK) in the mechanism regulating cyclooxygenase gene expression in equine leukocytes

The goal of this study was to define the role for p38 mitogen-activated kinase (MAPK) in the signaling mechanism regulating pro-inflammatory cyclooxygenase (COX) gene expression in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated equine leukocytes for the purposes of identifying novel targets for anti-inflammatory therapy in endotoxemic horses. The p38 MAPK has been shown to positively regulate inflammatory gene expression in human leukocytes and can be activated by a variety of stimuli including LPS, TNF-alpha, and IL-1. Activation-associated phosphorylated p38 MAPK has been implicated in the up-regulation of several inflammatory genes, including COX-2 which ultimately results in the production of prostanoids that are responsible for the pathophysiology associated with endotoxemia. Our hypothesis is that activation of p38 MAPK is essential for LPS-induced COX-2 expression in equine peripheral blood leukocytes. We tested our hypothesis by investigating the effects of the specific p38 MAPK inhibitors SB203580 and SB202190 on LPS-induced COX-2 protein expression and PGE(2) production in equine leukocytes. LPS stimulation activated p38 MAPK and increased COX-2 expression in a dose-dependent manner with maximal activation observed after 30min and 4h, respectively, at a concentration of 10 ng/ml LPS. In contrast, LPS stimulation did not affect COX-1 protein expression. Pretreatment with SB203580 or SB202190 significantly inhibited LPS-induced activation-associated p38 MAPK phosphorylation, COX-2 mRNA and protein levels, and PGE(2) production in equine leukocytes. Maximal inhibition of LPS-induced COX-2 protein expression was achieved at a concentration of 10 microM SB203580. We concluded that p38 MAPK is essential for LPS-induced COX-2 expression suggesting that p38 MAPK is a potential target for anti-inflammatory therapy during equine endotoxemia.