Background: ARHGAP25, a GTP-ase activating protein for Rac is mainly expressed in hematopoietic cells and plays predominant role in regulation of neutrophilic effector functions (phagocytosis, superoxide production), as well as neutrophil recruitment and extravasation due to its effect on Rac-dependent cytoskeletal changes. These findings strongly suggest, that ARHGAP25 may be involved in regulation of inflammatory diseases as well. This led us to investigate its role in autoantibody-induced model of rheumatoid arthritis, in transgenic mice.
Material and methods: After intraperitoneal injection of K/B9N mouse strain-derived serum into Arhgap25À/À (KO) and wild type (WT) mice, ankle thickness was measured and a clinical score, indicating the severity of inflammation was determined. The loss of function was investigated by hanging on the mice on a wire-grid. Neutrophil infiltration into the ankle joints and the amount of filamentary actin in infiltrated neutrophils were measured with flow cytometry, using KO Background: Alzheimer's disease, the most common form of dementia in the elderly, is characterized by a triad of pathological features: extracellular amyloid deposits predominantly composed of amyloid-b peptides, intracellular neurofibrillary tangles made of hyper-and abnormally phosphorylated Tau protein, and gliosis. Recent studies have underlined the effect of systemic inflammation on the pathophysiology of Alzheimer's disease. Neutrophils are key components of early innate immunity and contribute to uncontrolled systemic inflammation if not tightly regulated. The aim of our study was to fully characterize human circulating neutrophils at different disease stages in Alzheimer's disease.
Material and methods:We analyzed neutrophil phenotypes and functions in forty-two patients with Alzheimer's disease (sixteen with mild cognitive impairment and twenty-six with dementia), and compared them with twenty-two age-matched healthy subjects. This study was performed directly in whole blood to avoid issues with data interpretation related to cell isolation procedures.Results: Blood samples from Alzheimer's diseases patients with dementia revealed neutrophil hyperactivation associated with increased reactive oxygen species production and increased levels of intravascular neutrophil extravascular traps. The homeostasis of circulating neutrophils in these patients also changed: the ratio between the harmful hyperreactive CXCR4 high/CD62L low senescent and the CD16 bright/CD62L dim immunosuppressive neutrophil subsets rose in the later stage of the disease. Interestingly, these abnormalities were greater in fast-decliner than in slowdecliner patients. Natural pseurotins are secondary metabolites of filamentous fungi possessing antimicrobial and antiparasitic activity. Interestingly a few studies suggested effects of pseurotins in eukaryotes e.g. antiangiogenic activity in chick chorioallantoic membrane assay or inhibition of IgE production by activated B-lymphocytes. In this study, we focused on effects of natural pseu...