Key Points• Life span estimates can be sensitive to the duration of stable isotope label administration, explaining discrepancies in the literature.• Multiexponential models are needed to obtain reliable leukocyte life span estimates.Quantitative knowledge of the turnover of different leukocyte populations is a key to our understanding of immune function in health and disease. Much progress has been made thanks to the introduction of stable isotope labeling, the state-of-the-art technique for in vivo quantification of cellular life spans. Yet, even leukocyte life span estimates on the basis of stable isotope labeling can vary up to 10-fold among laboratories. We investigated whether these differences could be the result of variances in the length of the labeling period among studies. To this end, we performed deuterated water-labeling experiments in mice, in which only the length of label administration was varied. The resulting life span estimates were indeed dependent on the length of the labeling period when the data were analyzed using a commonly used single-exponential model. We show that multiexponential models provide the necessary tool to obtain life span estimates that are independent of the length of the labeling period. Use of a multiexponential model enabled us to reduce the gap between human T-cell life span estimates from 2 previously published labeling studies. This provides an important step toward unambiguous understanding of leukocyte turnover in health and disease. (Blood. 2013;122(13):2205-2212
Patients suffering from multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) comprise a heterogeneous population, which complicates research in its pathogenesis. Elucidation of the mechanisms involved in the development of MODS will ultimately necessitate the collection of tissue samples and the performance of invasive procedures. These requirements greatly reduce the possibilities for research in human subjects. Therefore, an animal model for MODS is a necessary and valuable tool. In the mid 1980s, the zymosan-induced generalized inflammation (ZIGI) model was introduced. Intraperitoneal injection of zymosan in mice or rats leads, in the course of 1 to 2 weeks, to increasing organ damage and dysfunction. The ZIGI model has been recognized as the one that best resembles human MODS and it has been used widely to study systemic inflammation in relation to organ failure. This review describes the ZIGI model and gives an overview of the results obtained.
The purpose of the study was to investigate the course of the zymosan-induced multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) in the absence of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) in a murine model. Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha-lymphotoxin-a knockout (TNF/LT-/-) mice (n = 36) and wild-type (TNF/LT+/+) mice (n = 36) received 40 microg of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) intraperitoneally followed by zymosan at a dose of 1 mg/g body weight 6 days later (day 0). Animals were monitored daily for body weight and temperature and clinical symptoms. At day 22, most of the surviving mice were killed to examine organ weight and histology. A small number of animals were followed until day 48. In all animals, zymosan induced an acute sterile peritonitis phase followed by an apparent recovery. From day 8 onwards the TNF/LT+/+ mice entered a third-MODS-like-phase, characterized by loss of body weight, decreased body temperature, and significant mortality. At day 22, survival in the TNF/LT-/- mice (92%) was significantly (P = 0.01) higher than in the TNF/LT+/+ mice (60%). In addition, average body temperature and average relative (vs. weight at day 0) body weight were higher in the TNF/LT-/- mice than in the TNF/LT+/+ mice (35.9 degrees C and 100% vs. 33.3 degrees C and 84%, respectively). However, at this time point, surviving animals from both groups showed similar and significant organ damage, indicated by an increase in absolute and relative (vs body weight) weight of lung, spleen, and liver (liver only in the TNF/LT-/- mice). Moreover, histopathological examination of organs from the surviving animals showed a similar degree of microscopic damage in both groups. Interestingly, besides mononuclear cells, inflammatory infiltrates in lungs and livers of TNF/LT+/+ but not of TNF-/- mice contained neutrophils. In conclusion, TNF-deficient mice exhibit significantly improved morbidity and mortality during zymosan-induced MODS. However, the absence of TNF does not completely protect against MODS in this murine model.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.