Clinical stroke induces inflammatory processes leading to cerebral injury. IL-10 expression is elevated during major CNS diseases and limits inflammation in the brain. Recent evidence demonstrated that absence of B-cells led to larger infarct volumes and increased numbers of activated T-cells, monocytes and microglial cells in the brain, thus implicating a regulatory role of B-cell subpopulations in limiting CNS damage from stroke. The aim of this study was to determine whether the IL-10-producing regulatory B-cell subset can limit CNS inflammation and reduce infarct volume following ischemic stroke in B-cell deficient (µMT−/−) mice. Five million IL-10-producing B-cells were obtained from IL-10-GFP reporter mice and transferred i.v. to µMT−/− mice. After 24 h following this transfer, recipients were subjected to 60 min of middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) followed by 48 hours of reperfusion. Compared to vehicle-treated controls, the IL-10+ B-cell-replenished µMT−/− mice had reduced infarct volume and fewer infiltrating activated T-cells and monocytes in the affected brain hemisphere. These effects in CNS were accompanied by significant increases in regulatory T-cells and expression of the co-inhibitory receptor, PD-1, with a significant reduction in the proinflammatory milieu in the periphery. These novel observations provide the first proof of both immunoregulatory and protective functions of IL-10-secreting B-cells in MCAO that potentially could impart significant benefit for stroke patients in the clinic.

Increased remissions in multiple sclerosis (MS) during pregnancy suggest that elevated levels of sex steroids exert immunoregulatory activity. Estrogen (E2 5 17b-estradiol) protects against experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), but the cellular basis for E2-induced protection remains unclear. Studies demonstrate that depletion of B cells prior to induction of EAE exacerbates disease severity, implicating regulatory B cells. We thus evaluated pathogenic and E2-induced protective mechanisms in B-cell-deficient (lMT À/À ) mice. EAE-protective effects of E2 were abrogated in lMT À/À mice, with no reduction in disease severity, cellular infiltration or pro-inflammatory factors in the central nervous system compared to untreated controls. E2 treatment of WT mice selectively upregulated expression of PD-L1 on B cells and increased the percentage of IL-10-producing CD1d high CD5 1 regulatory B cells. Upregulation of PD-L1 was critical for E2-mediated protection since E2 did not inhibit EAE in PD-L1 À/À mice. Direct treatment of B cells with E2 significantly reduced proliferation of MOG 35-55 -specific T cells that required estrogen receptor-a (ERa). These results demonstrate, for the first time, a requirement for B cells in E2-mediated protection against EAE involving direct E2 effects on regulatory B cells mediated through ERa and the PD-1/PD-L1 negative co-stimulatory pathway. E2-primed B cells may represent an important regulatory mechanism in MS and have strong implications for women receiving current MS therapies that cause B-cell depletion. Keywords: EAE . Estrogen . MS . Regulatory B cells Supporting Information available online IntroductionSubjects with multiple sclerosis (MS), a debilitating neurological and inflammatory autoimmune disease, often show clinical improvement during pregnancy, followed by temporary postpartum exacerbations [1,2]. Levels of sex steroids mirror these improvements during pregnancy, suggesting an immunoregulatory role. Treatment with pregnancy level estriol (E3) reduces CNS lesions [3]. Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), an animal model of MS, is associated with production of proinflammatory cytokines, 5] and recovery with anti-inflammatory cytokines, 7]. As in humans with MS, EAE severity in guinea pigs, rats and rabbits improves during pregnancy [1]. We have previously demonstrated that [15,16,19]. CD20 antibody-mediated B-cell depletion before EAE induction results in exacerbation of disease symptoms and increased encephalitogenic T-cell influx into the CNS [6]. These studies led to the identification of IL-10-producing CD1d high CD51 regulatory B cells [6,7] which, when depleted, resulted in increased disease severity. The regulatory B cells were maximally protective during early EAE initiation, with no obvious role during disease progression [6]. The role of regulatory B cells in E2-mediated protection against EAE has not been evaluated, and is the focus of the current study.Our results demonstrate that in the absence of B cells, protective effects of E2 ...

Clinical stroke induces inflammatory processes leading to cerebral and splenic injury and profound peripheral immunosuppression. IL-10 expression is elevated during major CNS diseases and limits inflammation in the brain. Recent evidence demonstrated that absence of B-cells led to larger infarct volumes and CNS damage after middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) that could be prevented by transfer of IL-10+ B-cells. The purpose of this study was to determine if the beneficial immunoregulatory effects on MCAO of the IL-10+ B-cell subpopulation also extends to B-cell-sufficient mice that would better represent stroke subjects. CNS inflammation and infarct volumes were evaluated in male C57BL/6J (WT) mice that received either RPMI or IL-10+ B-cells and underwent 60 min of middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) followed by 96 hours of reperfusion. Transfer of IL-10+ B-cells markedly reduced infarct volume in WT recipient mice when given 24 hours prior to or 4 hours after MCAO. B-cell protected MCAO mice had increased regulatory subpopulations in the periphery, reduced numbers of activated, inflammatory T-cells, decreased infiltration of T-cells and a less inflammatory milieu in the ischemic hemispheres of the IL-10+ B-cell-treated group. Moreover, transfer of IL-10+ B-cells 24 hours before MCAO led to a significant preservation of regulatory immune subsets in the IL-10+ B-cell protected group presumably indicating their role in immunomodulatory mechanisms, post-stroke. Our studies are the first to demonstrate a major immunoregulatory role for IL-10+ regulatory B-cells in preventing and treating MCAO in WT mice and also implicating their potential role in attenuating complications due to post-stroke immunosuppression.

Inflammatory responses in brain after cerebral ischemia have been studied extensively in male but not female mice, thus potentially giving a less-than-accurate view of gender-based pathological processes. In humans, cerebral infarcts are typically smaller in premenopausal females than age-matched males. In the current study, we confirmed smaller infarcts in female vs. male mice after middle cerebral artery occlusion and 96 hours of reperfusion. Moreover, we explored immunological alterations related to this difference and found that the percentage of CD4+ T lymphocytes was significantly higher in males than females in spleens with increased expression of the activation markers, CD69 and CD44. In contrast, the percentage of CD8+ T lymphocytes was significantly higher in females than males in spleens, leading to the identification of a small but distinct population of IL-10-secreting CD8+CD122+ T-suppressor cells that were also increased in females. Finally, we observed that males have a greater percentage of activated macrophages/microglia in brain than females, as well as increased expression of the VLA-4 adhesion molecule in both brain and spleen. This new information suggesting gender-dependent immunological mechanisms in stroke implies that effective treatments for human stroke may also be gender specific.

Recent evidence emphasizes B-cells as a major regulatory cell type that plays an important role in limiting the pathogenic effects of ischemic stroke. The aim of the current study was to extend this initial observation to specifically examine the infiltration of regulatory B-cells and to determine if the effect of B-cells to limit the inflammatory response to cerebral ischemia is mediated by their action centrally or peripherally. Our data demonstrate the increased presence of a regulatory B-cell subset in the affected hemisphere of wild-type mice after middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). We further explored the use of a novel method of stereotaxic cell delivery to bypass the blood brain barrier (BBB) and introduce CD19+ B cells directly into the striatum as compared to peripheral administration of B-cells. Infarct volumes after 60 minutes of MCAO and 48 hours of reperfusion were determined in B-cell deficient μMT−/− mice with and without replacement of either B-cells or medium. Infarct size was significantly decreased in cerebral cortex after intrastriatal transfer of 100,000 B-cells to μMT−/− mice vs. controls, with a comparable effect on infarct size as obtained by 50 million B-cells transferred intraperitoneally. These findings support the hypothesis that B-cells play a protective role against ischemic brain injury, and suggest that that B-cells may serve as a novel therapeutic agent for modulating the immune response in central nervous system inflammation after stroke.

BackgroundStroke severity is worsened by recruitment of inflammatory immune cells into the brain. This process depends in part on T cell activation, in which the B7 family of co-stimulatory molecules plays a pivotal role. Previous studies demonstrated more severe infarcts in mice lacking programmed death-1 (PD-1), a member of the B7 family, thus implicating PD-1 as a key factor in limiting stroke severity. The purpose of this study was to determine if this protective effect of PD-1 involves either of its ligands, PD-L1 or PD-L2.MethodsCentral nervous system (CNS) inflammation and infarct volume were evaluated in male PD-L1 and PD-L2 knockout (-/-) mice undergoing 60 minutes of middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) followed by 96 hours of reperfusion and compared to wild-type (WT) C57BL/6J mice.ResultsPD-L1-/- and PD-L2-/- mice had smaller total infarct volumes compared to WT mice. The PD-L1-/- and to a lesser extent PD-L2-/- mice had reduced levels of proinflammatory activated microglia and/or infiltrating monocytes and CD4+ T cells in the ischemic hemispheres. There was a reduction in ischemia-related splenic atrophy accompanied by lower activation status of splenic T cells and monocytes in the absence of PD-L1, suggesting a pathogenic rather than a regulatory role for both PD-1 ligands (PD-Ls). Suppressor T cells (IL-10-producing CD8+CD122+ T cells) trafficked to the brain in PD-L1-/- mice and there was decreased expression of CD80 on splenic antigen-presenting cells (APCs) as compared to the WT and PD-L2-/- mice.ConclusionsOur novel observations are the first to implicate PD-L1 involvement in worsening outcome of experimental stroke. The presence of suppressor T cells in the right MCAO-inflicted hemisphere in mice lacking PD-L1 implicates these cells as possible key contributors for controlling adverse effects of ischemia. Increased expression of CD80 on APCs in WT and PD-L2-/- mice suggests an overriding interaction leading to T cell activation. Conversely, low CD80 expression by APCs, along with increased PD-1 and PD-L2 expression in PD-L1-/- mice suggests alternative T cell signaling pathways, leading to a suppressor phenotype. These results suggest that agents (for example antibodies) that can target and neutralize PD-L1/2 may have therapeutic potential for treatment of human stroke.

Inflammation plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of ischemic stroke. This process depends, in part, upon proinflammatory factors released by activated resident central nervous system (CNS) microglia (MG). Previous studies demonstrated that transfer of IL-10+ B-cells reduced infarct volumes in male C57BL/6J recipient mice when given 24 h prior to or therapeutically at 4 h or 24 h after experimental stroke induced by 60 min middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). The present study assesses possible sex differences in immunoregulation by IL-10+ B-cells on primary male vs. female MG cultured from naïve and ischemic stroke-induced mice. Thus, MG cultures were treated with recombinant (r)IL-10, rIL-4 or IL-10+ B-cells after lipopolysaccharide (LPS) activation and evaluated by flow cytometry for production of proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory factors. We found that IL-10+ B-cells significantly reduced MG production of TNF-α, IL-1β and CCL3 post-MCAO and increased their expression of the anti-inflammatory M2 marker, CD206, by cell-cell interactions. Moreover, MG from female vs. male mice had higher expression of IL-4 and IL-10 receptors and increased production of IL-4, especially after treatment with IL-10+ B-cells. These findings indicate that IL-10-producing B-cells play a crucial role in regulating MG activation, proinflammatory cytokine release and M2 phenotype induction, post-MCAO, with heightened sensitivity of female MG to IL-4 and IL-10. This study, coupled with our previous demonstration of increased numbers of transferred IL-10+ B-cells in the ischemic hemisphere, provide a mechanistic basis for local regulation by secreted IL-10 and IL-4 as well as direct B-cell/MG interactions that promote M2+-MG.

Increased remissions in multiple sclerosis (MS) during late pregnancy may result from high levels of sex steroids such as estrogen and estriol. Estrogen (E2=17β-estradiol) protects against experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), but the cellular basis for E2-induced protection remains unclear. Treatment with relatively low doses of E2 can protect against clinical and histological signs of MOG-35-55 induced EAE through mechanisms involving the PD-1 coinhibitory pathway and B-cells. The current study evaluated the contribution of PD-1 ligands, PD-L1 and PD-L2, on B-cells in E2-mediated protection against EAE in WT, PD-L1−/− and PD-L2−/− mice. Unlike PD-L2−/− mice that were fully protected against EAE after E2 treatment, E2-implanted PD-L1−/− mice were fully susceptible to EAE, with increased numbers of proliferating Th1/Th17 cells in the periphery and severe cellular infiltration and demyelination in the CNS. Moreover, transfer of B-cells from MOG-immunized PD-L1−/− or PD-L2−/− donors into E2-preconditioned B-cell deficient μMT−/− recipient mice revealed significantly reduced E2-mediated protection against EAE in recipients of PD-L1−/− B-cells, but near-complete protection in recipients of PD-L2−/− B-cells. We conclude that PD-1 interaction with PD-L1 but not PD-L2 on B-cells is crucial for E2-mediated protection in EAE and that strategies that enhance PD-1/PD-L1 interactions might potentiate E2 treatment effects in MS.