scholarly journals Acute Effect of Caffeine on the Synthesis of Pro-Inflammatory Cytokines in the Hypothalamus and Choroid Plexus during Endotoxin-Induced Inflammation in a Female Sheep Model

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (24) ◽  
pp. 13237
Author(s):  
Aleksandra Szczepkowska ◽  
Maciej Wójcik ◽  
Dorota Tomaszewska-Zaremba ◽  
Hanna Antushevich ◽  
Agata Krawczyńska ◽  
...  

This study was designed to determine the effect of acute caffeine (CAF) administration, which exerts a broad spectrum of anti-inflammatory activity, on the synthesis of pro-inflammatory cytokines and their receptors in the hypothalamus and choroid plexus (ChP) during acute inflammation caused by the injection of bacterial endotoxin—lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The experiment was performed on 24 female sheep randomly divided into four groups: control; LPS treated (iv.; 400 ng/kg of body mass (bm.)); CAF treated (iv.; 30 mg/kg of bm.); and LPS and CAF treated. The animals were euthanized 3 h after the treatment. It was found that acute administration of CAF suppressed the synthesis of interleukin (IL-1β) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)α, but did not influence IL-6, in the hypothalamus during LPS-induced inflammation. The injection of CAF reduced the LPS-induced expression of TNF mRNA in the ChP. CAF lowered the gene expression of IL-6 cytokine family signal transducer (IL6ST) and TNF receptor superfamily member 1A (TNFRSF1) in the hypothalamus and IL-1 type II receptor (IL1R2) in the ChP. Our study on the sheep model suggests that CAF may attenuate the inflammatory response at the hypothalamic level and partly influence the inflammatory signal generated by the ChP cells. This suggests the potential of CAF to suppress neuroinflammatory processes induced by peripheral immune/inflammatory challenges.

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 ◽  
pp. 205873841986637 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mei Liu ◽  
Linlin Gao ◽  
Na Zhang

We aimed to analyze the action of berberine on the neuropathic pain and neuroglia activation in experimental diabetes mellitus (DM) model. Diabetes in mice was induced by intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (STZ) followed by the administration of berberine. Mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia and activations of microglia and astrocytes were evaluated. The levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines and protein expressions of inflammatory proteins were assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and western blot, respectively. Our results revealed the anti-nociceptive effects of berberine in DM mice, supported by the improved mechanical threshold and thermal latency. In addition, berberine suppressed the activations of microglia and astrocytes in the spinal cords of diabetic mice. Berberine inhibited the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines including tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin-6 (IL-6), and interleukin-1β (IL-1β), along with inflammatory proteins including iNOS and COX-2. Berberine suppressed neuropathic pain in STZ-induced diabetic mice, and this effect is related to the reduction on the neuroglia activation and inflammation associated with DM.


Vaccines ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 72 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdulmalik Alqarni ◽  
Valerie Ferro ◽  
John Parkinson ◽  
Mark Dufton ◽  
David Watson

Melittin, the major active peptide of honeybee venom (BV), has potential for use in adjuvant immunotherapy. The immune system response to different stimuli depends on the secretion of different metabolites from macrophages. One potent stimulus is lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a component isolated from gram-negative bacteria, which induces the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines in macrophage cell cultures. This secretion is amplified when LPS is combined with melittin. In the present study, pure melittin was isolated from whole BV by flash chromatography to obtain pure melittin. The ability of melittin to enhance the release of tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), Interleukin (IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-10) cytokines from a macrophage cell line (THP-1) was then assessed. The response to melittin and LPS, applied alone or in combination, was characterised by metabolic profiling, and the metabolomics results were used to evaluate the potential of melittin as an immune adjuvant therapy. The addition of melittin enhanced the release of inflammatory cytokines induced by LPS. Effective chromatographic separation of metabolites was obtained by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) using a ZIC-pHILIC column and an ACE C4 column. The levels of 108 polar and non-polar metabolites were significantly changed (p ˂ 0.05) following cell activation by the combination of LPS and melittin when compared to untreated control cells. Overall, the findings of this study suggested that melittin might have a potential application as a vaccine adjuvant.


2007 ◽  
Vol 192 (2) ◽  
pp. 289-299 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter J Simons ◽  
Petra S van den Pangaart ◽  
Johannes M F G Aerts ◽  
Louis Boon

Adiponectin and, especially, its oligomeric complex composition have been suggested to be critical in determining insulin sensitivity. Pro-inflammatory cytokines play an important role in the development of insulin resistance in obesity and associated diseases. Therefore, we investigated the effect of long-term exposure of tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1β, and interferon (IFN)-γ on total insulin-sensitizing adiponectin secretion and adiponectin complex formation from human adipocytes. In parallel, adipocyte delipidation and leptin production levels were monitored. The present study demonstrates that TNF-α, IL-1β, and IFN-γ dose and time dependently suppressed total adiponectin secretion within 7 days (60, 70, and 35% reduction respectively). IL-6 was also able to reduce (50%) adiponectin production, although only in combination with exogenous soluble IL-6 receptors (sIL-6R). However, the oligomeric distribution (high, middle, and low molecular weight (HMW) complexes) of secreted adiponectin was not altered by any of these cytokines. All studied pro-inflammatory cytokines resulted in delipidation and reduction of lipid-laden adipocyte numbers. Despite this reduction of lipid-laden adipocytes, TNF-α, IL-6/sIL-6R, and IL-1β stimulated leptin release. Our data indicate that (i) long-term pro-inflammatory cytokine exposure downregulates total adiponectin secretion from delipidizing adipocytes and (ii) pro-inflammatory cytokines are not important regulators of adipocyte-derived adiponectin oligomerization. Hence, their individual contribution to low expression of HMW adiponectin found in insulin-resistant conditions seems unlikely. Furthermore, delipidizing adipocytes and preadipocytes are active leptin producers when stimulated by TNF-α, IL-6/sIL-6R, and IL-1β.


2020 ◽  
Vol 90 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 103-112 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael J. Haas ◽  
Marilu Jurado-Flores ◽  
Ramadan Hammoud ◽  
Victoria Feng ◽  
Krista Gonzales ◽  
...  

Abstract. Inflammatory and oxidative stress in endothelial cells are implicated in the pathogenesis of premature atherosclerosis in diabetes. To determine whether high-dextrose concentrations induce the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines, human coronary artery endothelial cells (HCAEC) were exposed to either 5.5 or 27.5 mM dextrose for 24-hours and interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-2 (IL-2), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-8 (IL-8), and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF α) levels were measured by enzyme immunoassays. To determine the effect of antioxidants on inflammatory cytokine secretion, cells were also treated with α-tocopherol, ascorbic acid, and the glutathione peroxidase mimetic ebselen. Only the concentration of IL-1β in culture media from cells exposed to 27.5 mM dextrose increased relative to cells maintained in 5.5 mM dextrose. Treatment with α-tocopherol (10, 100, and 1,000 μM) and ascorbic acid (15, 150, and 1,500 μM) at the same time that the dextrose was added reduced IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-8 levels in culture media from cells maintained at 5.5 mM dextrose but had no effect on IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-8 levels in cells exposed to 27.5 mM dextrose. However, ebselen treatment reduced IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-8 levels in cells maintained in either 5.5 or 27.5 mM dextrose. IL-2 and TNF α concentrations in culture media were below the limit of detection under all experimental conditions studied suggesting that these cells may not synthesize detectable quantities of these cytokines. These results suggest that dextrose at certain concentrations may increase IL-1β levels and that antioxidants have differential effects on suppressing the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines in HCAEC.


Nutrients ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 2794 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cao ◽  
Chen ◽  
Ren ◽  
Zhang ◽  
Tan ◽  
...  

Punicalagin, a hydrolysable tannin of pomegranate juice, exhibits multiple biological effects, including inhibiting production of pro-inflammatory cytokines in macrophages. Autophagy, an intracellular self-digestion process, has been recently shown to regulate inflammatory responses. In this study, we investigated the anti-inflammatory potential of punicalagin in lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced RAW264.7 macrophages and uncovered the underlying mechanisms. Punicalagin significantly attenuated, in a concentration-dependent manner, LPS-induced release of NO and decreased pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α and IL-6 release at the highest concentration. We found that punicalagin inhibited NF-κB and MAPK activation in LPS-induced RAW264.7 macrophages. Western blot analysis revealed that punicalagin pre-treatment enhanced LC3II, p62 expression, and decreased Beclin1 expression in LPS-induced macrophages. MDC assays were used to determine the autophagic process and the results worked in concert with Western blot analysis. In addition, our observations indicated that LPS-induced releases of NO, TNF-α, and IL-6 were attenuated by treatment with autophagy inhibitor chloroquine, suggesting that autophagy inhibition participated in anti-inflammatory effect. We also found that punicalagin downregulated FoxO3a expression, resulting in autophagy inhibition. Overall these results suggested that punicalagin played an important role in the attenuation of LPS-induced inflammatory responses in RAW264.7 macrophages and that the mechanisms involved downregulation of the FoxO3a/autophagy signaling pathway.


Endocrine ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesca Coperchini ◽  
Gianluca Ricci ◽  
Laura Croce ◽  
Marco Denegri ◽  
Rubina Ruggiero ◽  
...  

Abstract Introduction Angiotensin-converting-enzyme-2 (ACE-2) was demonstrated to be the receptor for cellular entry of SARS-CoV-2. ACE-2 mRNA was identified in several human tissues and recently also in thyroid cells in vitro. Purpose Aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of pro-inflammatory cytokines on the ACE-2 mRNA levels in human thyroid cells in primary cultures. Methods Primary thyroid cell cultures were treated with IFN-γ and TNF-α alone or in combination for 24 h. ACE-2 mRNA levels were measured by RT-PCR. As a control, the levels of IFN-γ inducible chemokine (CXCL10) were measured in the respective cell culture supernatants. Results The mean levels of ACE-2 mRNA increased after treatment with IFN-γ and TNF-α in all the thyroid cell preparations, while the combination treatment did not consistently synergically increase ACE-2-mRNA. At difference, CXCL10 was consistently increased by IFN-γ and synergically further increased by the combination treatment with IFN-γ + TNF-α, with respect to IFN-γ alone. Conclusions The results of the present study show that IFN-γ and, to a lesser extent TNF-α consistently increase ACE-2 mRNA levels in NHT primary cultures. More interestingly, the combined stimulation (proven to be effective according to the synergic effect registered for CXCL10) produces different responses in terms of ACE-2 mRNA modulation. These results would suggest that elevated levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines could facilitate the entering of the virus in cells by further increasing ACE-2 expression and/or account for the different degree of severity of SARS-COV-2 infection. This hypothesis deserves to be confirmed by further specific studies.


Author(s):  
Hadi Nobari ◽  
Jason M. Cholewa ◽  
Jorge Pérez-Gómez ◽  
Alfonso Castillo-Rodríguez

Abstract Objective Systemic elevations in pro-inflammatory cytokines are a marker of non-functional over reaching, and betaine has been shown to reduce the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines in vitro. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of betaine supplementation on tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukins-1 beta (IL-1β), − 6 (IL-6) and the complete blood cell (CBC) count in professional youth soccer players during a competitive season. Methods Twenty-nine soccer players (age, 15.5 ± 0.3 years) were randomly divided into two groups based on playing position: betaine group (BG, n = 14, 2 g/day) or placebo group (PG, n = 15). During the 14-week period, training load was matched and well-being indicators were monitored daily. The aforementioned cytokines and CBC were assessed at pre- (P1), mid- (P2), and post- (P3) season. Results Significant (p < 0.05) group x time interactions were found for TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6. These variables were lower in the BG at P2 and P3 compared to P1, while IL-1β was greater in the PG at P3 compared to P1 (p = 0.033). The CBC count analysis showed there was significant group by time interactions for white blood cells (WBC), red blood cells (RBC), hemoglobin (Hb), and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC). WBC demonstrated increases at P3 compared to P2 in PG (p = 0.034); RBC was less at P3 compared to P1 in BG (p = 0.020); Hb was greater at P2 compared to P1, whilst it was less at P3 compared to P3 for both groups. MCHC was greater at P3 and P2 compared to P1 in BG, whereas MCHC was significantly lower at P3 compared to P2 in the PG (p = 0.003). Conclusion The results confirmed that 14 weeks of betaine supplementation prevented an increase in pro-inflammatory cytokines and WBC counts. It seems that betaine supplementation may be a useful nutritional strategy to regulate the immune response during a fatiguing soccer season.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (21) ◽  
pp. 1731-1732
Author(s):  
Prashant Ramesh Chakkarwar

Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) is the deadliest pandemic that the whole world is facing today. COVID-19 is different from normal flu by its two lethal manifestations which includes deadly pneumonia which may lead to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) due to hyper-inflammation of alveolar tissues and pulmonary intravascular coagulopathy (PIC).1,2 It is noteworthy here to mention that both these lethal manifestations of COVID-19 are due to abnormally high levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines like interleukin (IL) - 1β, IL - 6, and tumour necrosis factor (TNF) - α, termed as “cytokine storm.”3,4 There is a certain link between pro-inflammatory cytokines like IL - 1β, IL - 6, and TNF - α and its pro-coagulatory influence on coagulation pathway mediated by tissue factor that binds and activate factor VII, leading to formation of tissue factor – VII a complexes which results in the activation of clotting factor X and IX.4 Recently the researchers in China and some European countries have found raised level of pro-inflammatory cytokines particularly IL - 6 in severe cases of COVID-19. They also found raised D-dimer, fibrinogen levels and prothrombin time in moderate to severe COVID-19 cases.5,6 Both of these lethal manifestations of COVID-19 – ARDS and PIC are linked to raised levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, particularly, IL - 6. It is not very clear that the pro-inflammatory action of cytokines is mediated through leukotrienes as the biochemical assay for leukotrienes are not widely available but possibility of this probable mechanism cannot be ruled out. Hence, development of any molecule with ability to inhibit pro-inflammatory cytokines, particularly IL-6 may be able to tame the lethal nature of COVID-19, and may ultimately reduce the mortality of this deadly pandemic. Montelukast sodium is such molecule which has capacity to inhibit proinflammatory cytokines such as IL - 1β, IL - 6, and TNF - α.7 Montelukast sodium is leukotriene receptor antagonist that inhibits the cysteinyl leukotriene type-1 receptor. Leukotrienes modulate the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines.8 Its antagonist action on leukotriene receptors can inhibit the production of these pro-inflammatory cytokines. Even recent in silico study by Jacobson at Oak Ridge National Lab, was found that excess bradykinin production may be responsible for pulmonary, cardiac, neurological and nephrological lethal manifestations of COVID-19.9 Crimi et al.10 already found that Montelukast is effective to control bradykinin induced bronchoconstriction. Thus, theoretically, montelukast seems to be best molecule to deal with deadly manifestation of COVID-19 even if we go by cytokine storm hypothesis or bradykinin hypothesis.


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