Neutrophils are becoming recognized as highly versatile and sophisticated cells that display de novo synthetic capacity and potentially prolonged lifespan. Emerging concepts such as neutrophil heterogeneity and plasticity have revealed that, under pathological conditions, neutrophils may differentiate into discrete subsets defined by distinct phenotypic and functional characteristics. Indeed, these newly described neutrophil subsets will undoubtedly add to the already complex interactions between neutrophils and other immune cell types for an effective immune response. The interactions between neutrophils and monocytes/macrophages enable the host to efficiently defend against and eliminate foreign pathogens. However, it is also becoming increasingly clear that these interactions can be detrimental to the host if not tightly regulated. In this review, we will explore the functional cooperation of neutrophil and monocytes/macrophages in homeostasis, during acute inflammation and in various disease settings. We will discuss this in the context of cardiovascular disease in the form of atherosclerosis, an autoimmune disease mainly occurring in the kidneys, as well as the unique intestinal immune response of the gut that does not conform to the norms of the typical immune system.

Fermentation of dietary fibre in the gut yields large amounts of short chain fatty acids (SCFAs). SCFAs can impart biological responses in cells through their engagement of ‘metabolite-sensing’ G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). One of the main SCFA receptors, GPR43, is highly expressed by neutrophils, which suggests that the actions of GPR43 and dietary fibre intake may affect neutrophil recruitment during inflammatory responses in vivo. Using intravital imaging of the small intestine, we found greater intravascular neutrophil rolling and adhesion in Gpr43−/−mice in response to LPS at 1 h. After 4 h of LPS challenge, the intravascular rolling velocity of GPR43-deficient neutrophils was reduced significantly and increased numbers of neutrophils were found in the lamina propria of Gpr43−/−mice. Additionally, GPR43-deficient leukocytes demonstrated exacerbated migration into the peritoneal cavity following fMLP challenge. The fMLP-induced neutrophil migration was significantly suppressed in wildtype mice that were treated with acetate, but not in Gpr43−/−mice, strongly suggesting a role for SCFAs in modulating neutrophil migration via GPR43. Indeed, neutrophils of no fibre-fed wildtype mice exhibited elevated migratory behaviour compared to normal chow-fed wildtype mice. Interestingly, this elevated migration could also be reproduced through simple transfer of a no fibre microbiota into germ-free mice, suggesting that the composition and function of microbiota stemming from a no fibre diet mediated the changes in neutrophil migration. Therefore, GPR43 and a microbiota composition that allows for SCFA production function to modulate neutrophil recruitment during inflammatory responses.

Hypertension is a major, independent risk factor for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. However, this pathology can arise through multiple pathways, which could influence vascular disease through distinct mechanisms. An overactive sympathetic nervous system is a dominant pathway that can precipitate in elevated blood pressure. We aimed to determine how the sympathetic nervous system directly promotes atherosclerosis in the setting of hypertension. We used a mouse model of sympathetic nervous system-driven hypertension on the atherosclerotic-prone apolipoprotein E-deficient background. When mice were placed on a western type diet for 16 weeks, we showed the evolution of unstable atherosclerotic lesions. Fortuitously, the changes in lesion composition were independent of endothelial dysfunction, allowing for the discovery of alternative mechanisms. With the use of flow cytometry and bone marrow imaging, we found that sympathetic activation caused deterioration of the hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell niche in the bone marrow, promoting the liberation of these cells into the circulation and extramedullary hematopoiesis in the spleen. Specifically, sympathetic activation reduced the abundance of key hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell niche cells, sinusoidal endothelial cells and osteoblasts. Additionally, sympathetic bone marrow activity prompted neutrophils to secrete proteases to cleave the hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell surface receptor CXCR4. All these effects could be reversed using the β-blocker propranolol during the feeding period. These findings suggest that elevated blood pressure driven by the sympathetic nervous system can influence mechanisms that modulate the hematopoietic system to promote atherosclerosis and contribute to cardiovascular events.

One sentence summary: Sympathetic activation of neutrophils significantly impairs several critical host defense functions, including chemotaxis, phagocytosis and neutrophil-endothelial cell interactions. AbstractEmerging evidence has revealed that noradrenaline (NA), the main neurotransmitter of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS), regulates a variety of immune functions via binding to adrenergic receptors present on immune cells. In this study, we examined the role of NA in the regulation of neutrophil functions. Neutrophils were isolated from the bone marrow of naïve mice and treated with NA at various concentrations to assess the effect on various neutrophil functions.Additionally, we performed cremaster intravital microscopy to examine neutrophil-endothelial cell interactions following NA superfusion in vivo. In a separate group of animals, mice were subjected to an experimental model of stroke and at 4 and 24 h neutrophils were isolated for assessment on their ability to migrate toward various chemokines. Treatment of neutrophils with NA for 4 h significantly impaired neutrophil chemotaxis and induced an N2 neutrophil phenotype with reduced expression of the genes critical for cytoskeleton remodeling and inflammation. Prolonged NA administration promoted neutrophils to release myeloperoxidase and IL-6, but suppressed the production of interferon-and IL-10, reduced neutrophil activation and phagocytosis. Superfusion of NA over the cremaster muscle almost completely inhibited fMLP-induced neutrophil adhesion/arrest and transmigration. Furthermore, using a mouse model of stroke, a pathological condition in which SNS activation is evident, neutrophils isolated from poststroke mice showed markedly reduced chemotaxis toward all of the chemokines tested. The findings from our study indicate that neutrophil chemotaxis, activation, and phagocytosis can all be negatively regulated in an NA-dependent manner. A better understanding of the relationship between sympathetic activation and neutrophil function will be important for the development of effective antibacterial interventions.