Fine particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5) is a harmful air pollutant currently threatening public health. Although many studies have been performed on the general negative effects of PM2.5 in mice and humans, the migration patterns of various immune cells in response to PM2.5 exposure remain unclear. In this study, we aimed to investigate the immune cell migratory response in the lung and the liver of intratracheally PM2.5-inoculated mice. To investigate the migration trajectory of immune cells in the lung and the liver tissues of mice, we employed microscopic tools including two-photon intravital imaging, histological analysis, and transmission electron microscopy. Our data from two-photon intravital imaging showed that there was no significant difference in the number of infiltrated neutrophils in the lung and the liver of PM2.5-treated mice, compared to the nontreated condition. However, from the histological analysis and the transmission electron microscopy after vascular perfusion to remove intravascular leukocytes, we observed that some leukocytes were frequently observed in the lung and the liver of PM2.5-treated mice. Interestingly, quantification of leukocyte population using flow cytometry showed significant increase of neutrophils and macrophages in the lung, but not much in the liver, 24 h post-PM2.5 treatment. These data imply that two-photon intravital imaging of the lung and the liver actually visualized neutrophils, which were adherent to the luminal side of the vasculature. We then conducted mRNA microarray analysis to further observe how PM2.5 affects gene expression patterns in the lung and the liver. PM2.5 treatment changed the mRNA expression associated with the IL-17 signaling pathway in the lung and changed the mRNA expression associated with metabolic pathways in the liver. In summary, these results suggest that the immune response in the lung is distinctly regulated from that in the liver under acute PM2.5-induced inflammation and that these organs consequently are regulated via distinct signaling pathways.
Distant metastasis represents the primary cause of cancer-associated death. Pulmonary metastasis is most frequently seen in many cancers, largely driven by lung inflammation. Components from primary tumor or recruited leukocytes are known to facilitate metastasis formation. However, contribution of target site–specific host factor to metastasis is poorly understood. Here, we show that developmental endothelial locus–1 (DEL-1), an anti-inflammatory factor abundant in the lung and down-regulated by inflammatory insults, protects from melanoma lung metastasis independently of primary tumor development and systemic immunosurveillance. DEL-1 deficiency is associated with gene profiles that favor metastatic progression with inflammation and defective immunosurveillance. Mechanistically, DEL-1 deficiency primarily influences Ly6G+ neutrophil accumulation in lung metastatic niche, leading to IL-17A up-regulation from γδ T cells and reduced antimetastatic NK cells. In support, neutrophil depletion or recombinant DEL-1 treatment profoundly reverses these effects. Thus, our results identify DEL-1 as a previously unrecognized link between tumor-induced inflammation and pulmonary metastasis.
Sepsis is predominantly initiated by bacterial infection and can cause systemic inflammation, which frequently leads to rapid death of the patient. However, this acute systemic inflammatory response requires further investigation from the perspectives of clinical judgment criteria and early treatment strategies for the relief of symptoms. Lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) 18:0 may relieve septic symptoms, but the relevant mechanism is not clearly understood. Therefore, we aimed to assess the effectiveness of LPC as a therapeutic treatment for acute inflammation in the lung induced by lipopolysaccharide in mice. Systemic inflammation of mice was induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) inoculation to investigate the role of LPC in the migration and the immune response of neutrophils during acute lung injury. By employing two-photon intravital imaging of the LPS-stimulated LysM-GFP mice and other in vitro and in vivo assays, we examined whether LPC alleviates the inflammatory effect of sepsis. We also tested the effect of LPC to human neutrophils from healthy control and sepsis patients. Our data showed that LPC treatment reduced the infiltration of innate immune cells into the lung. Specifically, LPC altered neutrophil migratory patterns and enhanced phagocytic efficacy in the damaged lung. Moreover, LPC treatment reduced the release of neutrophil extracellular trap (NET), which can damage tissue in the inflamed organ and exacerbate disease. It also reduced human neutrophil migration under inflammatory environment. Our results suggest that LPC can alleviate sepsis-induced lung inflammation by regulating the function of neutrophils. These findings provide evidence for the beneficial application of LPC treatment as a potential therapeutic strategy for sepsis.
Increase in vascular permeability is a conclusive response in the progress of inflammation. Under controlled conditions, leukocytes are known to migrate across the vascular barriers to the sites of inflammation without severe vascular rupture. However, when inflammatory state becomes excessive, the leakage of blood components may occur and can be lethal. Basically, vascular permeability can be analyzed based on the intensity of blood outflow. To evaluate the amount and rate of leakage in live mice, we performed cremaster muscle exteriorization to visualize blood flow and neutrophil migration. Using two-photon intravital microscopy of the exteriorized cremaster muscle venules, we found that vascular barrier function is transiently and locally disrupted in the early stage of inflammatory condition induced by N-formylmethionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (fMLP). Measurement of the concentration of intravenously (i.v.) injected Texas Red dextran inside and outside the vessels resulted in clear visualization of real-time increases in transient and local vascular permeability increase in real-time manner. We successfully demonstrated repeated leakage from a target site on a blood vessel in association with increasing severity of inflammation. Therefore, compared to other methods, two-photon intravital microscopy more accurately visualizes and quantifies vascular permeability even in a small part of blood vessels in live animals in real time.
Two-photon intravital imaging is a powerful method by which researchers are able to directly observe biological phenomena in live organisms. Researchers in various biomedical research fields have applied two-photon imaging to a variety of target organs by utilizing this technology’s ability to penetrate to significant depths with minimal phototoxicity. The mouse respiratory system in inflammation models is a good example, as two-photon intravital imaging can provide insights as to how the immune system is activated in response to inflammation within the respiratory system. Inflammation models can be generated via influenza viral, bacterial, or lipopolysaccharide injection. To exteriorize the lungs or trachea, thoracotomy or tracheotomy is performed, respectively; the appropriate combination of inflammation induction and organ exposure is selected depending on the study purpose. On the other hand, visualizing the movement of leukocytes is also an important component; to this end, immune cell populations of interest are either labeled via the genetic attachment of fluorescent proteins or stained with antibodies or dyes. With the proper selection of methods at each step, twophoton intravital imaging can yield visual evidence regarding immune responses to inflammation.
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