scholarly journals A Rodent Model of Sulfur Mustard Hematologic Toxicity for the Efficacy Evaluation of Candidate Medical Countermeasures

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Phillip H Beske ◽  
Christina M Wilhelm ◽  
Jill A Harvilchuck ◽  
Gennady E Platoff Jr. ◽  
David T Yeung

ABSTRACT Introduction While exposure to sulfur mustard (SM) is commonly associated with the production of vesicating dermal, ocular, and respiratory injuries, systemic damage to bone marrow and lymphatic tissue can decrease critical immune cell populations leading to higher susceptibility to life-threatening infection and septicemia. There are currently no approved medical countermeasures for SM-induced myelosuppression. An intravenous SM challenge model was developed in adult rats as a preliminary proof-of-principle platform to evaluate the efficacy of candidate immunostimulants. Materials and Methods Adult male and female Sprague Dawley rats were exposed to SM through tail vein injection. Toxicity progression was monitored through clinical observations, body weights, body temperatures, hematology, serum clinical chemistry, and flow cytometry of blood and bone marrow samples. Results Following SM exposure, overt toxicity progression was characterized by weight loss, changes in body temperature, and manifestation of toxic clinical signs (diarrhea, lethargy, hunched posture, rough hair coat, respiratory distress, and death). Drastic alterations in complete blood cell profiles included an early-onset lymphopenia followed by a delayed-onset neutropenia and thrombocytopenia. Only transient changes in serum clinical chemistry parameters were observed. Flow cytometry analysis of circulating blood revealed that B-cells were more predominantly affected by SM exposure than T-cells. Challenge with SM resulted in loss of hematopoietic and mesenchymal stem cell populations in the bone marrow. Conclusions The small animal model developed in this study replicates many key aspects of human SM exposures and should serve as a relevant, rapid, and cost-effective platform to screen candidate medical countermeasures for SM-induced hematologic toxicity.

2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. ii105-ii106
Author(s):  
Michael Strong ◽  
Aqila Ahmed ◽  
Anda-Alexandra Calinescu ◽  
Xiaofeng Zhou ◽  
Tyler Robinson ◽  
...  

Abstract Roughly 400,000 people have bone metastases in the U.S. with the vast majority of these occurring in the spine. The etiology of bone metastasis still remains to be fully elucidated. This study explored the differences in immune landscape between long bone and spine that may contribute to higher rates of bone metastasis to the spine. Spines and femurs from male C57BL6/J mice (N=10) were processed for flow cytometry and immunophenotyping using Mass Cytometry by Time-Of-Flight (CyTOF). The cells were analyzed with CyTOF using a 33-surface protein marker mouse antibody panel. Spines (N=3) and femurs (N=2) from patients were analyzed with CyTOF using the Maxpar Complete Human T cell Immuno-Oncology Panel Set. There are global differences in the immune cell composition between the long bone and spine microenvironment. Flow cytometry revealed slight increases in the CD45+ and Cd11b+ cell populations in the bone marrow of murine spines compared to murine long bone, which are markers for myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs). Using CyTOF, significant differences in the immune cell landscape between long bone and spine were observed. In the murine long bone, an increase in monocytes/macrophages, myeloid progenitors, granulocytic MDSCs, granulocytes, and mast cells was observed compared to the spine. In the murine spine an elevation of CD8a+ DC cells, classical monocytes, MDSCs, pDCs, memory T helper cells, and NK T cells was seen. Evaluation of human long bone and spine revealed similar trends with a predominance of myeloid progenitor cells and monocytes in the human vertebra compared to the human long bone marrow. Significant differences in the immune microenvironment exist between the spine and long bone marrow in both murine and human samples. This is the first report of significant differences in immune cell populations between different skeletal locations. However, the functional significance of these differences has yet to be determined.


2020 ◽  
pp. annrheumdis-2019-216786
Author(s):  
Margarita Ivanchenko ◽  
Gudny Ella Thorlacius ◽  
Malin Hedlund ◽  
Vijole Ottosson ◽  
Lauro Meneghel ◽  
...  

ObjectiveCongenital heart block (CHB) with immune cell infiltration develops in the fetus after exposure to maternal Ro/La autoantibodies. CHB-related serology has been extensively studied, but reports on immune-cell profiles of anti-Ro/La-exposed neonates are lacking. In the current study, we characterised circulating immune-cell populations in anti-Ro/La+mothers and newborns, and explored potential downstream effects of skewed neonatal cell populations.MethodsIn total, blood from mothers (n=43) and neonates (n=66) was sampled at birth from anti-Ro/La+ (n=36) and control (n=30) pregnancies with or without rheumatic disease and CHB. Flow cytometry, microarrays and ELISA were used for characterising cells and plasma.ResultsSimilar to non-pregnant systemic lupus erythematosus and Sjögren-patients, anti-Ro/La+mothers had altered B-cell subset frequencies, relative T-cell lymphopenia and lower natural killer (NK)-cell frequencies. Surprisingly, their anti-Ro/La exposed neonates presented higher frequencies of CD56dimCD16hi NK cells (p<0.01), but no other cell frequency differences compared with controls. Type I and II interferon (IFN) gene-signatures were revealed in neonates of anti-Ro/La+ pregnancy, and exposure of fetal cardiomyocytes to type I IFN induced upregulation of several NK-cell chemoattractants and activating ligands. Intracellular flow cytometry revealed IFNγ production by NK cells, CD8+ and CD4+ T cells in anti-Ro/La exposed neonates. IFNγ was also detectable in their plasma.ConclusionOur study demonstrates an increased frequency of NK cells in anti-Ro/La exposed neonates, footprints of type I and II IFN and an upregulation of ligands activating NK cells in fetal cardiac cells after type I IFN exposure. These novel observations demonstrate innate immune activation in neonates of anti-Ro/La+pregnancy, which could contribute to the risk of CHB.


2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 51
Author(s):  
Jonathan E. Fogle ◽  
Jenna A. Scott ◽  
Glen W. Almond

Recent reports suggest that antibiotic therapy may either reduce or enhance the immune response to various porcine vaccines. Based upon these findings, we asked if antibiotic therapy alters immune cell populations, as measured by flow cytometry and/or vaccine-specific humoral immunity, as measured by sample to positive (S/P) antibody ratios. Here, we investigated the immuno-modulatory effects of enrofloxacin, ceftiofur, and tulathromycin on the immune response to a Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae (M. hyopneumoniae) and porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV-2) combination vaccine in weaned pigs. Maternal antibody likely interfered with the induction of immunity to M. hyopneumoniae. Antibiotic administration did not affect immune cell populations, as assessed by flow cytometry and did not affect the induction of humoral immunity to PCV-2.


Blood ◽  
1995 ◽  
Vol 85 (10) ◽  
pp. 2742-2746 ◽  
Author(s):  
RJ Jones ◽  
JP Barber ◽  
MS Vala ◽  
MI Collector ◽  
SH Kaufmann ◽  
...  

Cytosolic aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH), an enzyme responsible for oxidizing intracellular aldehydes, has an important role in ethanol, vitamin A, and cyclophosphamide metabolism. High expression of this enzyme in primitive stem cells from multiple tissues, including bone marrow and intestine, appears to be an important mechanism by which these cells are resistant to cyclophosphamide. However, although hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) express high levels of cytosolic ALDH, isolating viable HSC by their ALDH expression has not been possible because ALDH is an intracellular protein. We found that a fluorescent aldehyde, dansyl aminoacetaldehyde (DAAA), could be used in flow cytometry experiments to isolate viable mouse and human cells based on their ALDH content. The level of dansyl fluorescence exhibited by cells after incubation with DAAA paralleled cytosolic ALDH levels determined by Western blotting and the sensitivity of the cells to cyclophosphamide. Moreover, DAAA appeared to be a more sensitive means of assessing cytosolic ALDH levels than Western blotting. Bone marrow progenitors treated with DAAA proliferated normally. Furthermore, marrow cells expressing high levels of dansyl fluorescence after incubation with DAAA were enriched for hematopoietic progenitors. The ability to isolate viable cells that express high levels of cytosolic ALDH could be an important component of methodology for identifying and purifying HSC and for studying cyclophosphamide-resistant tumor cell populations.


Blood ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 136 (Supplement 1) ◽  
pp. 9-9
Author(s):  
Michael Abadier ◽  
Jose Estevam ◽  
Deborah Berg ◽  
Eric Robert Fedyk

Background Mezagitamab is a fully human immunoglobulin (Ig) G1 monoclonal antibody with high affinity to CD38 that depletes tumor cells expressing CD38 by antibody- and complement-dependent cytotoxicity. CD38 is a cell surface molecule that is highly expressed on myeloma cells, plasma cells, plasmablasts, and natural killer (NK) cells, and is induced on activated T cells and other suppressor cells including regulatory T (Tregs) and B (Bregs) cells. Data suggest that immune landscape changes in cancer patients and this may correlate with disease stage and clinical outcome. Monitoring specific immune cell subsets could predict treatment responses since certain cell populations either enhance or attenuate the anti-tumor immune response. Method To monitor the immune landscape changes in RRMM patients we developed a mass cytometry panel that measures 39-biomarkers to identify multiple immune cell subsets, including T cells (naïve, memory, effector, regulatory), B cells (naïve, memory, precursors, plasmablasts, regulatory), NK cells, NKT cells, gamma delta T cells, monocytes (classical, non-classical and intermediate), dendritic cells (mDC; myeloid and pDC; plasmacytoid) and basophils. After a robust analytical method validation, we tested cryopreserved peripheral blood and bone marrow mononuclear cells from 19 RRMM patients who received ≥ 3 prior lines of therapy. Patients were administered 300 or 600 mg SC mezagitamab on a QWx8, Q2Wx8 and then Q4Wx until disease progression schedule (NCT03439280). We compared the percent change in immune cell subsets at baseline versus week 4 and week 16. Results CD38 is expressed at different levels on immune cells and sensitivity to depletion by mezagitamab generally correlates positively with the density of expression. CD38 is expressed at high densities on plasmablasts, Bregs, NK-cells, pDC and basophils at baseline and this was associated with reductions in peripheral blood and bone marrow (plasmablasts, 95%, Bregs, 90%, NK-cells, 50%, pDC, 55% and basophils, 40%) at week 4 post treatment. In contrast, no changes occurred in the level of total T-cells and B-cells, which is consistent with low expression of CD38 on most cells of these large populations. Among the insensitive cell types, remaining NK-cells acquired an activated, proliferative and effector phenotype. We observed 60-150% increase in activation (CD69, HLA-DR), 110-200% increase in proliferation (Ki-67), and 40-375% increase in effector (IFN-γ) markers in peripheral blood and bone marrow. Importantly, NK-cells which did not express detectable CD38, also exhibited a similar phenotype possibly by a mechanism independent of CD38. Consistent with these data, the remaining CD4 and CD8 T-cell populations exhibited an activated effector phenotype as observed by 40-200% increase in activation, 60-200% increase in proliferation and 40-90% increase in effector markers in peripheral blood. A potential explanation for this acquisition of activated effector phenotypes could be a reduction in suppressive regulatory lymphocytes. Next, we measured levels of Tregs and Bregs, and observed that Bregs which are CD24hiCD38hi were reduced to 60-90% in peripheral blood and bone marrow. In contrast, total Tregs were reduced by only 5-25% because CD38 expression in Tregs appears as a spectrum where only ~10-20% are CD38+, and thus CD38+ Tregs were reduced more significantly (45-75%), reflecting the selectively of mezagitamab to cells expressing high levels of CD38. CD38+ Tregs are induced in RRMM patients, thus we looked at the phenotype of CD38-, CD38mid, and CD38high -expressing Tregs. We observed higher level of markers that correlate with highly suppressive Tregs such as Granzyme B, Ki-67, CTLA-4 and PD-1 in CD38high Tregs. Accordingly, the total Treg population exhibited a less active phenotype after exposure to mezagitamab, which selectively depleted the highly suppressive CD38+ Tregs. Conclusions Chronic treatment with mezagitamab is immunomodulatory in patients with RRMM, which is associated with reductions in tumor burden, subpopulations of B and T regulatory cells, and characterized by conventional NK and T cells exhibiting an activated, proliferative and effector phenotype. The immune landscape changes observed is consistent with the immunologic concept of converting the tumor microenvironment from cold-to-hot and highlights a key mechanistic effect of mezagitamab. Disclosures Berg: Takeda Pharmaceuticals Inc: Current Employment.


Blood ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 108 (11) ◽  
pp. 2615-2615
Author(s):  
Wolfgang Kern ◽  
Claudia Schoch ◽  
Susanne Schnittger ◽  
Torsten Haferlach

The diagnosis and classification of myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are based on cytomorphology (CM) and cytogenetics. A high degree of experience in CM is required to allow the accurate identification of dysmyelopoiesis and quantification of bone marrow blasts. The identification of dysplastic features in all lineages by multiparameter flow cytometry (MFC) has been shown feasible. To further analyze the potential role of MFC in the diagnostic work-up of MDS we analyzed 224 bone marrow samples from patients with suspected of proven MDS by MFC, CM, and cytogenetics in parallel. Blast counts as determined by CM and MFC, respectively, ranged from 0% to 21% (median, 5%) and from 0% to 33% (median, 4%; correlation: r=0.192, p=0.018). The median number of aberrant features detected by MFC were 0 for blasts (range, 0 to 4), 2 for granulocytes (0 to 7), 1 for monocytes (0 to 5), and 0 for erythrocytes (0 to 2). The most frequent dysplastic features observed in the blast populations included aberrant coexpression of CD11b (20.5%), CD15 (14.3%) and CD64 (14.3%). The most frequent dysplastic features observed in the granulocytic cell populations included reduced side-scatter signal corresponding to hypogranulation (71.4%), aberrant coexpression of CD56 (29.0%), aberrant pattern of CD13/CD16 expression (26.3%), aberrant pattern of CD11b/CD16 expression (25.9%), reduced expression of CD64 (17.0%), and aberrant expression of HLA-DR (14.7%). The most frequent dysplastic features observed in the monocytic cell populations included aberrant coexpression of CD56 (31.3%), aberrant coexpression of CD16 (26.3%), an aberrant pattern of CD11b/HLA-DR expression (6.7%), and aberrant coexpression of CD2 (5.8%). The most frequent dysplastic features observed in the erythroid cell populations included an aberrantly strong expression of CD71 and CD235a (23.7%), a lack of CD71 expression (10.7%), and an aberratly homogeneous expression of CD71 (7.1%). The presence of dysplastic features by CM as well as the presence of cytogenetic aberrations tended to be associated with a higher number of dysplastic features by MFC. These data suggest that the identification of dysplastic features by MFC is feasible although there is a large heterogeneity in aberrantly expressed antigens. Thus, a comprehensive panel of antibodies must be applied to allow the detection of dysplasia. Future studies will define the role of MFC in optimizing the diagnosis of MDS in cooperation with CM and cytogenetics.


2008 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 137-143 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew C Loftspring ◽  
Jeremiah McDole ◽  
Aigang Lu ◽  
Joseph F Clark ◽  
Aaron J Johnson

Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is a stroke subtype with high rates of mortality and morbidity. The immune system, particularly complement and cytokine signaling, has been implicated in brain injury after ICH. However, the cellular immunology associated with ICH has been understudied. In this report, we use flow cytometry to quantitatively profile immune cell populations that infiltrate the brain 1 and 4 days post-ICH. At 1 day CD45hi GR-1+ cells were increased 2.0-fold compared with saline controls ( P ≤ 0.05); however, we did not observe changes in any other cell populations analyzed. At 4 days ICH mice presented with a 2.4-fold increase in CD45hi cells, a 1.9-fold increase in CD45hi GR-1 cells, a 3.4-fold increase in CD45hi GR-1+ cells, and most notably, a 1.7-fold increase in CD4+ cells ( P ≤ 0.05 for all groups), compared with control mice. We did not observe changes in the numbers of CD8+ cells or CD45lo cells ( P = 0.43 and 0.49, respectively). Thus, we have shown the first use of flow cytometry to analyze leukocyte infiltration in response to ICH. Our finding of a CD4 T-cell infiltrate is novel and suggests a role for the adaptive immune system in the response to ICH.


2015 ◽  
Vol 43 (02) ◽  
pp. 94-100 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ł. Jarosz ◽  
M. Kalinowski ◽  
M. Staniec ◽  
Z. Grądzki ◽  
B. Salmons ◽  
...  

SummaryObjective: The purpose of this study was to track changes in selected subpopulations of lymphocytes in the blood of dogs infected with Babesia (B.) canis and treated with imidocarb. Material and methods: The study included 16 dogs divided into two groups. The first group (n = 6) consisted of healthy control animals. Dogs of the second group (n = 10) were infected with B. canis and after establishment of the diagnosis each animal received a single dose of imidocarb (5 mg/kg). Flow cytometry was used to enumerate several immune cell phenotypes. Results: It was concluded that the invasion of B. canis contributes to the decreased percentage of CD3+, CD4+, CD8+, CD21+ lymphocytes in the blood of infected animals. The decreased level of tested subpopulations of lymphocytes in group 2 persisted for the entire 12-day period of the test. After the administration of imidocarb, each tested lymphocyte fraction in the blood of the dogs with babesiosis increased, but did not reach physiological values. Conclusion: The presented results indicate that the resolution of clinical signs associated with babesiosis may be related to the stimulation and intensity of cellular immunity, dependent on the CD4+ T cells profile. After administration of imidocarb, the parasitemia is cleared which allows the recovery of the lymphocyte populations.


Blood ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 87 (10) ◽  
pp. 4261-4275 ◽  
Author(s):  
A Ayala ◽  
CD Herdon ◽  
DL Lehman ◽  
CA Ayala ◽  
IH Chaudry

Apoptosis (Ao), is a process by which cells undergo a form of nonnecrotic cellular suicide. Although for most cells this is a constitutive process, it can be induced in immature and differentiating immune cell populations by stress mediators associated with inflammation. This inducible form of A(o) is referred to as programmed cell death. However, it is not clear whether hematopoietic cell populations such as the thymus and bone marrow are induced to undergo A(o) during polymicrobial sepsis. To assess this, thymocytes, bone marrow cells, or splenocytes (as a source of comparative nonhematopoietic cells) were harvested from C3H/HeN mice at 1, 4, or 24 hours after cecal ligation and puncture (CLP; to induce polymicrobial sepsis) or sham-CLP (Sham). The results showed that mixed bone marrow cells ex vivo, although not to the same extent as thymus, showed a marked increase in the percentage of cells in A(o), increased endonuclease activity, and a significant decrease in cell yield at 24 hours but not at 4 hours after CLP. Similar changes were not evident in splenocytes. Phenotypic, as well as morphologic assessment, indicated that most of the increase in apoptotic cells in the thymus was associated with the immature T cells (CD4+CD8+) and CD8-CD4- cells. In contrast, the increase in bone marrow cell A(o) was associated with only the B220+ cells, with no significant contribution from myeloid cells. Treatment of CLP mice in vivo with either RU-38486 or PEG-(rsTNF- R1)2 was unable to reverse the increased A(o) in the bone marrow of these animals. Taken together, these findings indicate that A(o) as a process induced by polymicrobial sepsis is not limited to the thymus, but can also be detected in the bone marrow. However, unlike thymic A(o), bone marrow is not affected directly/indirectly by glucocorticoids or tumor necrosis factor released during sepsis.


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