Refine
Has Fulltext
- yes (104) (remove)
Is part of the Bibliography
- yes (104)
Year of publication
Document Type
- Journal article (84)
- Doctoral Thesis (20)
Keywords
- inflammation (104) (remove)
Institute
- Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik I (14)
- Neurologische Klinik und Poliklinik (12)
- Klinik und Poliklinik für Anästhesiologie (ab 2004) (11)
- Kinderklinik und Poliklinik (9)
- Klinik und Poliklinik für Allgemein-, Viszeral-, Gefäß- und Kinderchirurgie (Chirurgische Klinik I) (9)
- Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik II (9)
- Institut für Anatomie und Zellbiologie (6)
- Theodor-Boveri-Institut für Biowissenschaften (5)
- Graduate School of Life Sciences (4)
- Klinik und Poliklinik für Nuklearmedizin (4)
Sonstige beteiligte Institutionen
Die Entwicklung von therapeutischen Strategien, die den infarktbedingten Untergang des Myokardgewebes minimieren und die Gewebsheilung nach abgelaufenem Myokardinfarkt unterstützen, gehört zu dem Hauptziel in der modernen Kardiologie. Bis jedoch eine spezifische Intervention als Therapieform anerkannt wird, ist ein detailliertes Entschlüsseln der zellulären und molekularen Mechanismen während und nach der Myokardschädigung notwendig. Die vorliegende Arbeit beschäftigt sich intensiv mit den Vorgängen der Stickstoffmonoxid- (NO) Produktion und der Inflammation nach Okklusion von Kranzarterien. Im ersten Teil der Dissertation steht die endotheliale NO-Synthase-Expression (eNOS) im Mittelpunkt der Untersuchung. eNOS ist als wichtiger Katalysator an der Biosynthese von Stickstoffmonoxid, das als protektiver Faktor für die Gefäßhomöostase seit Jahren bekannt ist, beteiligt. Ferner besteht experimentell sehr gute Evidenz dafür, dass der endothelialen NO-Synthase am Ausmaß des kardialen Ischämie-/ Reperfusionsschadens eine entscheidende Rolle zukommt. Folglich wurde mittels der Substanz AVE 9488 versucht, die eNOS-Expression in Mäusen zu steigern und den Effekt auf das Infarktgeschehen näher zu betrachten. Die Behandlung mit AVE 9488 erzielte einen signifikant reduzierten Ischämie-/Reperfusionsschaden. Bei anschließenden Ischämie-/Reperfusionsveruchen mit eNOS defizienten Mäusen war der protektive Effekt wieder aufgehoben. Der Erfolg dieser Substanz wird in der signifikanten Reduktion des oxidativen Stresses vermutet. Ein zusätzlicher wichtiger Parameter, der während der Ischämie/Reperfusion aktiviert wird, ist der Schlüssel-Transkriptionsfaktor Nuclear Factor kappa B (NF-kB). Durch seine Bindung an bestimmte Enhancer und Promotoren reguliert der Faktor die Entzündungsprozesse, indem er die Genexpression proinflammatorischer Marker verstärkt. Folglich wurden eine Reduktion der Inflammation sowie ein protektiver Effekt nach erfolgter ischämischer Schädigung durch Hemmung von NF-kB angenommen. Zur Prüfung dieser Hypothese wurden NF-kB-Untereinheit p50 defiziente Mäuse (p50 KO) einer Okklusion einer Herzkranzarterie unterzogen. Durch die Hemmung der NF-kB-Aktivierung kam es zu einer signifikanten Reduzierung des Infarktareals im Vergleich zu den entsprechenden Wildtyp-Mäusen. Der große Benefit konnte auf die geringere Einwanderung der neutrophilen Granulozyten in das infarzierte Gebiet zurückgeführt werden. Knochenmarktransplantationsversuche mit p50 KO- und Wildtyp-Knochenmark untermauerten die Beobachtung, dass die beeinträchtigte Aktivierung von NF-kB in p50 defizienten Leukozyten protektive Effekte in der Ischämie/Reperfusion vermittelt. Die Aktivierung der proinflammatorischen Proteine während des linksventrikulären Remodelings nach Myokardinfarkt gehört zum Fokus des dritten Teils dieser Arbeit. Dieser Teil beschäftigt sich mit der Frage, inwieweit eine hochdosierte Aspirin-Therapie die linksventrikulären Umbauprozesse günstig beeinflussen kann. Dafür wurden Mäuse für 4 Wochen mit Placebo oder Aspirin (120 mg/kg pro Tag) mittels osmotischer Mini-Pumpen, die 2 Stunden nach Ligatur der Kranzarterie implantiert wurden, behandelt. In beiden Gruppen kam es zur erwarteten linksventrikulären Dilatation nach Myokardinfarkt, jedoch ohne signifikanten Unterschied zwischen Placebo- und Aspirin-behandelten Tieren. Es kam allerdings zu einer erwarteten Reduktion proinflammatorischer Proteine durch die Aspirin-Therapie. So war die Expression von Tumor-Nekrose-Faktor-alpha; (TNF-alpha) und Interleukin-1ß (IL-ß) in der Aspirin-Gruppe signifikant reduziert. Zusammenfassend lässt sich sagen, dass durch die gezielte Beeinflussung bestimmter Faktoren in der Ischämie/Reperfusion wie z. B. die Verstärkung der eNOS-Expression oder die Hemmung der NF-kB-Aktivierung die Ischämieschädigung signifikant reduziert werden kann.
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) induces a strong inflammatory response which includes blood-brain barrier damage, edema formation and infiltration of different immune cell subsets. More recently, microvascular thrombosis has been identified as another pathophysiological feature of TBI. The contact-kinin system represents an interface between inflammatory and thrombotic circuits and is activated in different neurological diseases. C1-Inhibitor counteracts activation of the contact-kinin system at multiple levels. We investigated the therapeutic potential of C1-Inhibitor in a model of TBI. Male and female C57BL/6 mice were subjected to cortical cryolesion and treated with C1-Inhibitor after 1 h. Lesion volumes were assessed between day 1 and day 5 and blood-brain barrier damage, thrombus formation as well as the local inflammatory response were determined post TBI. Treatment of male mice with 15.0 IU C1-Inhibitor, but not 7.5 IU, 1 h after cryolesion reduced lesion volumes by ~75% on day 1. This protective effect was preserved in female mice and at later stages of trauma. Mechanistically, C1-Inhibitor stabilized the blood-brain barrier and decreased the invasion of immune cells into the brain parenchyma. Moreover, C1-Inhibitor had strong antithrombotic effects. C1-Inhibitor represents a multifaceted anti-inflammatory and antithrombotic compound that prevents traumatic neurodegeneration in clinically meaningful settings.
NFATc1 supports imiquimod-induced skin inflammation by suppressing IL-10 synthesis in B cells
(2016)
Epicutaneous application of Aldara cream containing the TLR7 agonist imiquimod (IMQ) to mice induces skin inflammation that exhibits many aspects of psoriasis, an inflammatory human skin disease. Here we show that mice depleted of B cells or bearing interleukin (IL)-10-deficient B cells show a fulminant inflammation upon IMQ exposure, whereas ablation of NFATc1 in B cells results in a suppression of Aldara-induced inflammation. In vitro, IMQ induces the proliferation and IL-10 expression by B cells that is blocked by BCR signals inducing NFATc1. By binding to HDAC1, a transcriptional repressor, and to an intronic site of the Il10 gene, NFATc1 suppresses IL-10 expression that dampens the production of tumour necrosis factor-α and IL-17 by T cells. These data indicate a close link between NFATc1 and IL-10 expression in B cells and suggest NFATc1 and, in particular, its inducible short isoform, NFATc1/αA, as a potential target to treat human psoriasis.
Atherosclerosis is an inflammatory disease of large and medium-sized arteries, characterized by the growth of atherosclerotic lesions (plaques). These plaques often develop at inner curvatures of arteries, branchpoints, and bifurcations, where the endothelial wall shear stress is low and oscillatory. In conjunction with other processes such as lipid deposition, biomechanical factors lead to local vascular inflammation and plaque growth. There is also evidence that low and oscillatory shear stress contribute to arterial remodeling, entailing a loss in arterial elasticity and, therefore, an increased pulse-wave velocity. Although altered shear stress profiles, elasticity and inflammation are closely intertwined and critical for plaque growth, preclinical and clinical investigations for atherosclerosis mostly focus on the investigation of one of these parameters only due to the experimental limitations. However, cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been demonstrated to be a potent tool which can be used to provide insights into a large range of biological parameters in one experimental session. It enables the evaluation of the dynamic process of atherosclerotic lesion formation without the need for harmful radiation. Flow-sensitive MRI provides the assessment of hemodynamic parameters such as wall shear stress and pulse wave velocity which may replace invasive and radiation-based techniques for imaging of the vascular
function and the characterization of early plaque development. In combination with inflammation imaging, the analyses and correlations of these parameters could not only significantly advance basic preclinical investigations of atherosclerotic lesion formation and progression, but also the diagnostic clinical evaluation for early identification of high-risk plaques, which are prone to rupture. In this review, we summarize the key applications of magnetic resonance imaging for the evaluation of plaque characteristics through flow sensitive and morphological measurements. The simultaneous measurements of functional and structural parameters will further preclinical research on atherosclerosis and has the potential to fundamentally improve the detection of inflammation and vulnerable plaques in patients.
Inflammatory mechanisms in the pathophysiology of diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DN) — new aspects
(2021)
The pathogenesis of diabetic neuropathy is complex, and various pathogenic pathways have been proposed. A better understanding of the pathophysiology is warranted for developing novel therapeutic strategies. Here, we summarize recent evidence from experiments using animal models of type 1 and type 2 diabetes showing that low-grade intraneural inflammation is a facet of diabetic neuropathy. Our experimental data suggest that these mild inflammatory processes are a likely common terminal pathway in diabetic neuropathy associated with the degeneration of intraepidermal nerve fibers. In contrast to earlier reports claiming toxic effects of high-iron content, we found the opposite, i.e., nutritional iron deficiency caused low-grade inflammation and fiber degeneration while in normal or high non-heme iron nutrition no or only extremely mild inflammatory signs were identified in nerve tissue. Obesity and dyslipidemia also appear to trigger mild inflammation of peripheral nerves, associated with neuropathy even in the absence of overt diabetes mellitus. Our finding may be the experimental analog of recent observations identifying systemic proinflammatory activity in human sensorimotor diabetic neuropathy. In a rat model of type 1 diabetes, a mild neuropathy with inflammatory components could be induced by insulin treatment causing an abrupt reduction in HbA1c. This is in line with observations in patients with severe diabetes developing a small fiber neuropathy upon treatment-induced rapid HbA1c reduction. If the inflammatory pathogenesis could be further substantiated by data from human tissues and intervention studies, anti-inflammatory compounds with different modes of action may become candidates for the treatment or prevention of diabetic neuropathy.
Background: Cytokines such as interleukin 6 (IL-6) have been implicated in dual functions in neuropsychiatric disorders. Little is known about the genetic predisposition to neurodegenerative and neuroproliferative properties of cytokine genes. In this study the potential dual role of several IL-6 polymorphisms in brain morphology is investigated.
Methodology: In a large sample of healthy individuals (N = 303), associations between genetic variants of IL-6 (rs1800795; rs1800796, rs2069833, rs2069840) and brain volume (gray matter volume) were analyzed using voxel-based morphometry (VBM). Selection of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) followed a tagging SNP approach (e. g., Stampa algorigthm), yielding a capture 97.08% of the variation in the IL-6 gene using four tagging SNPs. Principal findings/results In a whole-brain analysis, the polymorphism rs1800795 (-174 C/G) showed a strong main effect of genotype (43 CC vs. 150 CG vs. 100 GG; x = 24, y = -10, z = -15; F(2,286) = 8.54, p(uncorrected) = 0.0002; p(AlphaSim-corrected) = 0.002; cluster size k = 577) within the right hippocampus head. Homozygous carriers of the G-allele had significantly larger hippocampus gray matter volumes compared to heterozygous subjects. None of the other investigated SNPs showed a significant association with grey matter volume in whole-brain analyses.
Conclusions/significance: These findings suggest a possible neuroprotective role of the G-allele of the SNP rs1800795 on hippocampal volumes. Studies on the role of this SNP in psychiatric populations and especially in those with an affected hippocampus (e.g., by maltreatment, stress) are warranted.
Early healing after myocardial infarction (MI) is characterized by a strong inflammatory reaction. Most leukotrienes are pro-inflammatory and are therefore potential mediators of healing and remodeling after myocardial ischemia. The enzyme 5-lipoxygenase (5-LOX) has a key role in the transformation of arachidonic acid in leukotrienes. Thus, we tested the effect of 5-LOX on healing after MI. After chronic coronary artery ligation, early mortality was significantly increased in 5-LOX\(^{−/−}\) when compared to matching wildtype (WT) mice due to left ventricular rupture. This effect could be reproduced in mice treated with the 5-LOX inhibitor Zileuton. A perfusion mismatch due to the vasoactive potential of leukotrienes is not responsible for left ventricular rupture since local blood flow assessed by magnetic resonance perfusion measurements was not different. However, after MI, there was an accentuation of the inflammatory reaction with an increase of pro-inflammatory macrophages. Yet, mortality was not changed in chimeric mice (WT vs. 5-LOX\(^{−/−}\) bone marrow in 5-LOX\(^{−/−}\) animals), indicating that an altered function of 5-LOX\(^{−/−}\) inflammatory cells is not responsible for the phenotype. Collagen production and accumulation of fibroblasts were significantly reduced in 5-LOX\(^{−/−}\) mice in vivo after MI. This might be due to an impaired migration of 5-LOX\(^{−/−}\) fibroblasts, as shown in vitro to serum. In conclusion, a lack or inhibition of 5-LOX increases mortality after MI because of healing defects. This is not mediated by a change in local blood flow, but through an altered inflammation and/or fibroblast function.
Background
Arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy is an inherited heart muscle disorder leading to ventricular arrhythmias and heart failure, mainly as a result of mutations in cardiac desmosomal genes. Desmosomes are cell-cell junctions mediating adhesion of cardiomyocytes; however, the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying the disease remain widely unknown. Desmocollin-2 is a desmosomal cadherin serving as an anchor molecule required to reconstitute homeostatic intercellular adhesion with desmoglein-2. Cardiac specific lack of desmoglein-2 leads to severe cardiomyopathy, whereas overexpression does not. In contrast, the corresponding data for desmocollin-2 are incomplete, in particular from the view of protein overexpression. Therefore, we developed a mouse model overexpressing desmocollin-2 to determine its potential contribution to cardiomyopathy and intercellular adhesion pathology.
Methods and results
We generated transgenic mice overexpressing DSC2 in cardiac myocytes. Transgenic mice developed a severe cardiac dysfunction over 5 to 13 weeks as indicated by 2D-echocardiography measurements. Corresponding histology and immunohistochemistry demonstrated fibrosis, necrosis and calcification which were mainly localized in patches near the epi- and endocardium of both ventricles. Expressions of endogenous desmosomal proteins were markedly reduced in fibrotic areas but appear to be unchanged in non-fibrotic areas. Furthermore, gene expression data indicate an early up-regulation of inflammatory and fibrotic remodeling pathways between 2 to 3.5 weeks of age.
Conclusion
Cardiac specific overexpression of desmocollin-2 induces necrosis, acute inflammation and patchy cardiac fibrotic remodeling leading to fulminant biventricular cardiomyopathy.
Oxidative stress is defined as an imbalance between the antioxidant defense system and the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). At low levels, ROS are involved in the regulation of redox signaling for cell protection. However, upon chronical increase in oxidative stress, cell damage occurs, due to protein, DNA and lipid oxidation. Here, we investigated the oxidative modifications of myofilament proteins, and their role in modulating cardiomyocyte function in end-stage human failing hearts. We found altered maximum Ca\(^{2+}\)-activated tension and Ca\(^{2+}\) sensitivity of force production of skinned single cardiomyocytes in end-stage human failing hearts compared to non-failing hearts, which was corrected upon treatment with reduced glutathione enzyme. This was accompanied by the increased oxidation of troponin I and myosin binding protein C, and decreased levels of protein kinases A (PKA)- and C (PKC)-mediated phosphorylation of both proteins. The Ca\(^{2+}\) sensitivity and maximal tension correlated strongly with the myofilament oxidation levels, hypo-phosphorylation, and oxidative stress parameters that were measured in all the samples. Furthermore, we detected elevated titin-based myocardial stiffness in HF myocytes, which was reversed by PKA and reduced glutathione enzyme treatment. Finally, many oxidative stress and inflammation parameters were significantly elevated in failing hearts compared to non-failing hearts, and corrected upon treatment with the anti-oxidant GSH enzyme. Here, we provide evidence that the altered mechanical properties of failing human cardiomyocytes are partially due to phosphorylation, S-glutathionylation, and the interplay between the two post-translational modifications, which contribute to the development of heart failure.
Desmoglein2 Regulates Claudin2 Expression by Sequestering PI-3-Kinase in Intestinal Epithelial Cells
(2021)
Inflammation-induced reduction of intestinal desmosomal cadherin Desmoglein 2 (Dsg2) is linked to changes of tight junctions (TJ) leading to impaired intestinal epithelial barrier (IEB) function by undefined mechanisms. We characterized the interplay between loss of Dsg2 and upregulation of pore-forming TJ protein Claudin2. Intraperitoneal application of Dsg2-stablising Tandem peptide (TP) attenuated impaired IEB function, reduction of Dsg2 and increased Claudin2 in DSS-induced colitis in C57Bl/6 mice. TP blocked loss of Dsg2-mediated adhesion and upregulation of Claudin2 in Caco2 cells challenged with TNFα. In Dsg2-deficient Caco2 cells basal expression of Claudin2 was increased which was paralleled by reduced transepithelial electrical resistance and by augmented phosphorylation of AKT\(^{Ser473}\) under basal conditions. Inhibition of phosphoinositid-3-kinase proved that PI-3-kinase/AKT-signaling is critical to upregulate Claudin2. In immunostaining PI-3-kinase dissociated from Dsg2 under inflammatory conditions. Immunoprecipitations and proximity ligation assays confirmed a direct interaction of Dsg2 and PI-3-kinase which was abrogated following TNFα application. In summary, Dsg2 regulates Claudin2 expression by sequestering PI-3-kinase to the cell borders in intestinal epithelium.