Infection of Human Macrophage-Like Cells by African Swine Fever Virus.

BACKGROUND: The African swine fever (ASF) virus (ASFV) and ASF-like viral sequences were identified in human samples and sewage as well as in different water environments. Pigs regularly experience infections by the ASFV. The considerable stability of the virus in the environment suggests that there is ongoing and long-term contact between humans and the ASFV. However, humans exhibit resistance to the ASFV, and the decisive factor in developing infection in the body is most likely the reaction of target macrophages to the virus. Therefore, this study aimed to characterize the responses of human macrophages to the virus and explore the distinct features of the viral replication cycle within human macrophages. METHODS: The ASFV Armenia/07 strain was used in all experiments. In this study, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to determine the ASFV gene expression; flow cytometry analysis was performed to evaluate the effects of the inactive and active ASFV (inASFV and aASFV) treatments on the phenotype of THP-1-derived macrophages (Mφ0) and inflammatory markers. Moreover, other methods such as cell viability and apoptosis assays, staining techniques, phagocytosis assay, lysosome-associated membrane protein (LAMP-1) cytometry, and cytokine detection were used during experiments. RESULTS: Our findings showed that the virus initiated replication by entering human macrophages. Subsequently, the virus shed its capsid and initiated the transcription of numerous viral genes, and at least some of these genes executed their functions. In THP-1-derived macrophages (Mφ0), the ASFV implemented several functions to suppress cell activity, although the timing of their implementation was slower compared with virus-sensitive porcine alveolar macrophages (PAMs). Additionally, the virus could not complete the entire replication cycle in human Mφ0, as indicated by the absence of viral factories and a decrease in infectious titers of the virus with each subsequent passage. Overall, the infection of Mφ0 with the ASFV caused significant alterations in their phenotype and functions, such as increased TLR2, TLR3, CD80, CD36, CD163, CXCR2, and surface LAMP-1 expression. Increased production of the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and interleukin (IL)-10 and decreased production of interferon (IFN)-α were also observed. Taken together, the virus enters human THP-1-derived macrophages, starts transcription, and causes immunological responses by target cells but cannot complete the replicative cycle. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that there may be molecular limitations within human macrophages that at least partially restrict the complete replication of the ASFV. Understanding the factors that hinder viral replication in Mφ0 can provide valuable insights into the host-virus interactions and the mechanisms underlying the resistance of human macrophages to the ASFV.

Determining Thrombogenicity: Using a Modified Thrombin Generation Assay to Detect the Level of Thrombotic Event Risk in Lupus Anticoagulant-Positive Patients.

The aim of this study was to determine the thrombogenicity of lupus anticoagulant (LA) antibodies using a modified thrombin generation assay (TGA) with the addition of activated protein C (APC) in a group of 85 patients with LA-positive samples. Of these, 58 patients had clinical manifestations of antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) according to the Sydney criteria classification, i.e., each patient had thrombosis or foetal loss, and 27 patients did not show any clinical manifestations of APS. A comparison of the two groups' TGA results revealed statistically significant differences (Fisher's test p = 0.0016). The group of patients exhibiting clinical manifestations of APS showed higher thrombogenicity in 56.9% of patients, while the group of patients not yet exhibiting clinical manifestations of APS showed higher thrombogenicity in 25.9% of patients. There were no significant differences in the specificity of the TGA test between the groups of patients exhibiting similar clinical manifestations. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed a more significant relationship (p = 0.0060) for TGA than for LA titre (p = 0.3387). These data suggest that the determination of LA thrombogenicity with the TGA assay leads to an increased prediction of the manifestation of a thromboembolic event. Our findings appear to be particularly relevant for the prediction of thrombotic events in patients with laboratory-expressed APS and no clinical manifestations.

Advanced virtual screening enables the discovery of a host-targeting and broad-spectrum antiviral agent.

We employed an advanced virtual screening (AVS) approach to identify potential inhibitors of human dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH), a validated target for development of broad-spectrum antivirals. We screened a library of 495118 compounds and identified 495 compounds that exhibited better binding scores than the reference ligands involved in the screening. From the top 100 compounds, we selected 28 based on their consensus docking scores and structural novelty. Then, we conducted in vitro experiments to investigate the antiviral activity of selected compounds on HSV-1 infection, which is susceptible to DHODH inhibitors. Among the tested compounds, seven displayed statistically significant antiviral effects, with Comp 19 being the most potent inhibitor. We found that Comp 19 exerted its antiviral effect in a dose-dependent manner (IC50 = 1.1 µM) and exhibited the most significant antiviral effect when added before viral infection. In the biochemical assay, Comp 19 inhibited human DHODH in a dose-dependent manner with the IC50 value of 7.3 µM. Long-timescale molecular dynamics simulations (1000 ns) revealed that Comp 19 formed a very stable complex with human DHODH. Comp 19 also displayed broad-spectrum antiviral activity and suppressed cytokine production in THP-1 cells. Overall, our study provides evidence that AVS could be successfully implemented to discover novel DHODH inhibitors with broad-spectrum antiviral activity.

Antiphospholipid antibody-mediated NK cell cytotoxicity.

Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is an autoimmune thrombophilia that is characterised by thrombosis and obstetric complications in the presence of antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL). Pregnancy complications remain a challenging problem for patients with APS, especially during the first trimester. Although natural killer (NK) cells constitute up to 70% of decidual lymphocytes during the first trimester, their contribution to early pregnancy loss in APS is largely unknown. We aimed to analyse whether aPL are able to recruit antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) of NK cells, with special emphasis on the differences in the effects of aPL containing anti-ß2GPI domain 1 (anti-ß2GPI-D1) antibodies (aPL+/D1+) and those that do not (aPL+/D1-). Our findings revealed a differential distribution of NK subsets in the presence of different aPL. Namely, aPL+/D1- IgGs increased CD56dim/CD16dim cells, while aPL+/D1 + IgGs increased the number of CD56bright/CD16dim cells. ADCC NK cell cytotoxicity was found to be higher in the presence of aPL+/D1- IgGs, as defined by an increased target cell death, degranulation and increased expression of CD11b, CD69 and NKG2D. Overall, our evidence showed that aPL are able to recruit ADCC, suggesting NK cells as candidate cells for APS-related obstetric complications.

Determination of Thrombogenicity Levels of Various Antiphospholipid Antibodies by a Modified Thrombin Generation Assay in Patients with Suspected Antiphospholipid Syndrome.

Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is a hypercoagulable state accompanied by the presence of heterogeneous antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL), which nonspecifically affect hemostasis by the presence of lupus anticoagulans (LA), anticardiolipin antibodies (aCL), antibodies against ß2-glycoprotein-I (anti-ß2GPI), but also non-criteria antibodies such as antibodies against ß2-glycoprotein-I domain I (anti-DI), anti-phosphatidylserine/prothrombin (anti-PS/PT), anti-annexin V, and many others. The main target of the antibodies is the activated protein C (APC) system, the elimination of which can manifest itself as a thrombotic complication. The aim of this study was to determine the thrombogenicity of antibodies using a modified protein C-activated thrombin generation assay (TGA) on a group of 175 samples suspected of APS. TGA was measured with/without APC and the ratio of both measurements was evaluated (as for APC resistance), where a cut-off was calculated ≤4.5 (90th percentile) using 21 patients with heterozygous factor V Leiden mutation (FV Leiden heterozygous). Our study demonstrates the well-known fact that multiple positivity of different aPLs is a more severe risk for thrombosis than single positivity. Of the single antibody positivity, LA antibodies are the most serious (p value < 0.01), followed by aCL and their subgroup anti-DI (p value < 0.05). Non-criteria antibodies anti-annexin V and anti-PT/PS has a similar frequency occurrence of thrombogenicity as LA antibodies but without statistical significance or anti-ß2GPI1 positivity. The modified TGA test can help us identify patients in all groups who are also at risk for recurrent thrombotic and pregnancy complications; thus, long-term prophylactic treatment is appropriate. For this reason, it is proving increasingly beneficial to include the determination antibodies in combination with modified TGA test.

Towards a Better Characterisation of Leukemic Cells in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia: Cell-Size Heterogeneity Reflects Their Activation Status and Migratory Abilities.

Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) is a genetically, morphologically and phenotypically heterogeneous chronic disease with clinical variability between patients. Whether the significant heterogeneity of cell size within the CLL population contributes to the heterogeneous features of this disease has not been investigated. The present study aimed to characterise the phenotypic and functional properties of two subpopulations of typical CLL cells that differ in cell size: small (s-CLL) and large (l-CLL) CLL cells delineated by forward scatter cytometry. The s-CLL cells were characterised by the CD5lowCXCR4hi phenotype, while the l-CLL cells were characterised by the CD5hiCXCR4dim phenotype and indicated a higher expression of CXCR3, CD20, CD38 and HLA-DR. The l-CLL cells displayed higher migration activity towards CXCL12, a tendency towards a higher proliferation rate and an increased capacity to produce IgM in the presence of CpG compared with s-CLL cells. When stimulated with CpG and CXCL12, l-CLL cells were characterised by a higher polarisation phenotype and motility than s-CLL cells. Our study revealed that the differences in CLL cell size reflected their activation status, polarisation and migratory abilities. Our data provide evidence of the importance of cell-size heterogeneity within a CLL pool and the dynamics of cell-size changes for disease pathogenesis, thus deserving further investigation.

Transmigration of Neutrophils From Patients With Familial Mediterranean Fever Causes Increased Cell Activation.

Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is caused by pyrin-encoding MEFV gene mutations and characterized by the self-limiting periods of intense inflammation, which are mainly mediated by a massive influx of polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) into the inflamed sites. Perturbation of actin polymerization by different pathogens was shown to activate the pyrin inflammasome. Our aim was to test whether cytoskeletal dynamics in the absence of pathogens may cause abnormal activation of PMNs from FMF patients. We also aimed to characterize immunophenotypes of circulating neutrophils and their functional activity. Circulating PMNs displayed heterogeneity in terms of cell size, granularity and immunophenotypes. Particularly, PMNs from the patients in acute flares (FMF-A) exhibited a characteristic of aged/activated cells (small cell size and granularity, up-regulated CXCR4), while PMNs form the patients in remission period (FMF-R) displayed mixed fresh/aged cell characteristics (normal cell size and granularity, up-regulated CD11b, CD49d, CXCR4, and CD62L). The findings may suggest that sterile tissue-infiltrated PMNs undergo reverse migration back to bone marrow and may explain why these PMNs do not cause immune-mediated tissue damage. A multidirectional expression of FcγRs on neutrophils during acute flares was also noteworthy: up-regulation of FcγRI and down-regulation of FcγRII/FcγRIII. We also observed spontaneous and fMPL-induced activation of PMNs from the patients after transmigration through inserts as seen by the increased expression of CD11b and intracellular expression of IL-1ß. Our study suggests heightened sensitivity of mutated pyrin inflammasome towards cytoskeletal modifications in the absence of pathogens.

Current Promising Biomarkers and Methods in the Diagnostics of Antiphospholipid Syndrome: A Review.

Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is a hypercoagulation condition associated with the incidence of heterogenic antiphospholipid antibodies (aPLs), which non-specifically affect hemostasis processes. APS is clinically manifested by recurrent arterial and venous thromboses and reproduction losses. The aPL antibodies, which may induce clinical manifestations of APS, include criteria antibodies anti-cardiolipin, anti-ß2-glycoprotein-I, and lupus anticoagulant, but also non-criteria antibodies, for example anti-ß2-glycoprotein-I domain I, anti-phosphatidylserine/prothrombin, anti-annexin V, and many others. APS occurs mostly in patients of younger and middle age, most frequently in females. Laboratory diagnostics of APS are quite difficult, as they include a wide spectrum of examining methods, which are based on various principles of detection and are performed using various laboratory techniques. The objective of the review is to describe the current state of potentially examined biomarkers and methods in APS diagnostics. The aforementioned biomarkers are lupus anticoagulant, anti-ß2-glycoprotein-I, anti-cardiolipin, anti-ß2-glycoprotein-I domain I, anti-phosphatidylserine/prothrombin, anti-ß2-glycoprotein-I IgA, anti-cardiolipin IgA, anti-annexin V and II, anti-prothrombin, anti-cardiolipin/vimentin, anti-protein S/protein C, and antibodies against phospholipid antigens for whose diagnostics we may use some of the methods established for a long time and some of the modern methods-the coagulation method for the determination of lupus anticoagulant (LA), enzyme-linked imunosorbent assay (ELISA), chemiluminescence analysis (CLIA), multiplex fluorescence flow immunoassay (MFFIA), fluorescence enzyme immunoassay (EliA), line immunoassay (LIA), multiline dot assay (MLDA), and thin-layer chromatography (TLC). Conclusion: Antibodies against phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidic acid, phosphatidylserine, phosphatidylinositol, cardiolipin/vimentin complex, and annexin V are currently the most studied new markers. However, these assays have not been standardized until now, both from the laboratory and clinical point of view. In this review we summarize the evidence of the most studied aPL markers and their potential clinical significance in seronegative APS (SN-APS).

Deciphering the complex circulating immune cell microenvironment in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia using patient similarity networks.

The tissue microenvironment in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) plays a key role in the pathogenesis of CLL, but the complex blood microenvironment in CLL has not yet been fully characterised. Therefore, immunophenotyping of circulating immune cells in 244 CLL patients and 52 healthy controls was performed using flow cytometry and analysed by multivariate Patient Similarity Networks (PSNs). Our study revealed high inter-individual heterogeneity in the distribution and activation of bystander immune cells in CLL, depending on the bulk of the CLL cells. High CLL counts were associated with low activation on circulating monocytes and T cells and vice versa. The highest activation of immune cells, particularly of intermediate and non-classical monocytes, was evident in patients treated with novel agents. PSNs revealed a low activation of immune cells in CLL progression, irrespective of IgHV status, Binet stage and TP53 disruption. Patients with high intermediate monocytes (> 5.4%) with low activation were 2.5 times more likely (95% confidence interval 1.421-4.403, P = 0.002) to had shorter time-to-treatment than those with low monocyte counts. Our study demonstrated the association between the activation of circulating immune cells and the bulk of CLL cells. The highest activation of bystander immune cells was detected in patients with slow disease course and in those treated with novel agents. The subset of intermediate monocytes showed predictive value for time-to-treatment in CLL.

High CXCR3 on Leukemic Cells Distinguishes IgHV mut from IgHV unmut in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia: Evidence from CD5high and CD5low Clones.

Despite the shared pattern of surface antigens, neoplastic cells in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) are highly heterogeneous in CD5 expression, a marker linked to a proliferative pool of neoplastic cells. To further characterize CD5high and CD5low neoplastic cells, we assessed the chemokine receptors (CCR5, CCR7, CCR10, CXCR3, CXCR4, CXCR5) and adhesion molecules (CD54, CD62L, CD49d) on the CD5high and CD5low subpopulations, defined by CD5/CD19 coexpression, in peripheral blood of CLL patients (n = 60) subgrouped according to the IgHV mutational status (IgHV mut, n = 24; IgHV unmut, n = 36). CD5high subpopulation showed a high percentage of CXCR3 (P < 0.001), CCR10 (P = 0.001), and CD62L (P = 0.031) and high levels of CXCR5 (P = 0.005), CCR7 (P = 0.013) compared to CD5low cells expressing high CXCR4 (P < 0.001). Comparing IgHV mut and IgHV unmut patients, high levels of CXCR3 on CD5high and CD5low subpopulations were detected in the IgHV mut patients, with better discrimination in CD5low subpopulation. Levels of CXCR3 on CD5low subpopulation were associated with time to the next treatment, thus further confirming its prognostic value. Taken together, our analysis revealed higher CXCR3 expression on both CD5high and CD5low neoplastic cells in IgHV mut with a better prognosis compared to IgHV unmut patients. Contribution of CXCR3 to CLL pathophysiology and its suitability for prognostication and therapeutic exploitation deserves future investigations.

17ß-Estradiol Promotes Proinflammatory and Procoagulatory Phenotype of Innate Immune Cells in the Presence of Antiphospholipid Antibodies.

Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is the most common cause of acquired thrombophilia and recurrent spontaneous miscarriages associated with extended persistence of antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL). How circulating aPL and high-17ß-estradiol (E2) environment contribute to the pregnancy complications in APS is poorly defined. Therefore, we aimed to analyse whether E2 could be responsible for the immune cell hyperactivation in aPL- positive (lupus anticoagulant, anti-cardiolipin, anti-ß2-glycoprotein) in women. For this, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from 14 aPL- positive and 13 aPL- negative women were cultured in the presence or absence of E2, LPS or E2+LPS and cell immunophenotype and cytokine release were analysed. In the aPL+ group, E2 presence markedly increased the percentage of NK cells positive for CD69 (p < 0.05), monocytes positive for tissue factor (TF, CD142) (p < 0.05), and B cells expressing PD-L1 (p < 0.05), as well as the elevated production of IL-1ß comparing to aPL- women (p < 0.01). Regardless of aPL positivity, E2 augmented the procoagulatory response elicited by LPS in monocytes. Our findings show the ability of E2 to promote proinflammatory and procoagulatory phenotype of innate immune cells in individuals with aPL positivity. Our data highlights the significant impact of female hormones on the activation of immune cells in the presence of aPL.

Hypomethylation of IL1RN and NFKB1 genes is linked to the dysbalance in IL1ß/IL-1Ra axis in female patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Inflammation has received considerable attention in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Supporting this concept, enhanced expression of interleukin (IL)-1ß and increased infiltration of macrophages are observed in pancreatic islets of patients with T2DM. Although IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra) plays a major role in controlling of IL-1ß-mediated inflammation, its counteraction effects and epigenetic alterations in T2DM are less studied. Thus, we aimed to analyze the DNA methylation status in IL1RN, RELA (p65) and NFKB1 (p50) genes in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from treated T2DM patients (n = 35) and age-/sex- matched healthy controls (n = 31). Production of IL-1ß and IL-1Ra was analyzed in plasma and supernatants from LPS-induced PBMCs. Immunomodulatory effects of IL-1ß and IL-1Ra were studied on THP-1 cells. Average DNA methylation level of IL1RN and NFKB1 gene promoters was significantly decreased in T2DM patients in comparison with healthy controls (P< 0.05), which was associated with the increased IL-1Ra (P< 0.001) and IL-1ß (P = 0.039) plasma levels in T2DM patients. Negative association between average methylation of IL1RN gene and IL-1Ra plasma levels were observed in female T2DM patients. Methylation of NFKB1 gene was negatively correlated with IL-1Ra levels in the patients and positively with IL-1ß levels in female patients. LPS-stimulated PBMCs from female patients failed to raise IL-1ß production, while the cells from healthy females increased IL-1ß production in comparison with unstimulated cells (P< 0.001). Taken together, the findings suggest that hypomethylation of IL1RN and NFKB1 gene promoters may promote the increased IL-1ß/IL-1Ra production and regulate chronic inflammation in T2DM. Further studies are necessary to elucidate the causal direction of these associations and potential role of IL-1Ra in anti-inflammatory processes in treated patients with T2DM.

Anti-domain 1 ß2 glycoprotein antibodies increase expression of tissue factor on monocytes and activate NK Cells and CD8+ cells in vitro.

BACKGROUND: ß2-Glycoprotein I (ß2GPI) represents the major antigenic target for antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL), with domain 1 (D1) being identified as a risk factor for thrombosis and pregnancy complications in APS. We aimed to analyse the ability of aPL, and particularly anti-D1 ß2GPI, to stimulate prothrombotic and proinflammatory activity of immune cells in vitro. METHODS: Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from 11 healthy individuals were incubated with: (1) "anti-D1(+)"-pooled plasma derived from patients suspected of having APS contained anticardiolipin antibodies (aCL), lupus anticoagulant (LA), anti-ß2GPI and anti-D1 ß2GPI; (2) "anti-D1(-)"-pooled plasma from patients suspected of having APS contained aCL, LA, anti-ß2GPI, and negative for anti-D1 ß2GPI; (3) "seronegative"-negative for aPL. RESULTS: The presence of anti-D1(+) and anti-D1(-) plasma resulted in increased HLA-DR and CD11b on monocytes. While only anti-D1(+) plasma markedly increased the percentage and median fluorescence intensity (MFI) of CD142 (tissue factor, TF) on monocytes in comparison with those cultured with anti-D1(-) and seronegative plasma. Anti-D1(+) plasma resulted in increased percentage and MFI of activation marker CD69 on NK and T cytotoxic cells. Expression of IgG receptor FcγRIII(CD16) on monocytes and NK cells was down-regulated by the anti-D1(+) plasma. CONCLUSIONS: Taking together, our study shows the ability of patient-derived aPL to induce immune cell activation and TF expression on monocytes. For the first time, we demonstrated the influence of anti-D1 ß2GPI on the activation status of monocytes, NK and cytotoxic T cells. Our findings further support a crucial role of D1 epitope in the promotion of thrombosis and obstetrical complications in APS.

Environmental Triggers of Autoreactive Responses: Induction of Antiphospholipid Antibody Formation.

Antiphospholipid antibodies (aPLs) comprise a diverse family of autoantibodies targeted against proteins with the affinity toward negatively charged phospholipids or protein-phospholipid complexes. Their clinical significance, including prothrombotic potential of anti-cardiolipin antibodies (aCLs), anti-ß2-glycoprotein I antibodies (aß2-GPIs), and lupus anti-coagulant (LA), is well-established. However, the ontogeny of these pathogenic aPLs remains less clear. While transient appearance of aPLs could be induced by various environmental factors, in genetically predisposed individuals these factors may eventually lead to the development of the antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). Since the first description of APS, it has been found that a wide variety of microbial and viral agents influence aPLs production and contribute to clinical manifestations of APS. Many theories attempted to explain the pathogenic potential of different environmental factors as well as a phenomenon termed molecular mimicry between ß2-GPI molecule and infection-relevant structures. In this review, we summarize and critically assess the pathogenic and non-pathogenic formation of aPLs and its contribution to the development of APS.

Dynamic changes in HLA-DR expression during short-term and long-term ibrutinib treatment in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

There is the first evidence of changes in the kinetics of B cell antigen receptor (BCR) internalisation of neoplastic cells in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) after the short-term and long-term administration of ibrutinib. We aimed to assess the influence of short-term and long-term ibrutinib treatment on the HLA-DR expression on CLL cells, T cells and monocytes. The immunophenotyping of CLL and immune cells in peripheral blood was performed on 16 high-risk CLL patients treated with ibrutinib. After early ibrutinib administration, the HLA-DR expression on CLL cells reduced (P = 0.032), accompanied by an increase in CLL cell counts in peripheral blood (P = 0.001). In vitro culturing of CLL cells with ibrutinib also revealed the reduction in the HLA-DR expression at protein and mRNA levels (P < 0.01). The decrease in HLA-DR on CLL cells after the first month was followed by the gradual increase of its expression by the 12th month (P = 0.001). A one-month follow-up resulted in elevated absolute counts of CD4+ (P = 0.002) and CD8+ (P < 0.001) T cells as well as CD4+ and CD8+ cells bearing HLA-DR (P < 0.01). The long-term administration of ibrutinib was associated with the increased numbers of CD4+ bearing HLA-DR (P = 0.006) and elevation of HLA-DR expression on all monocyte subsets (P ≤ 0.004). Our results provide the first evidence of the time-dependent immunomodulatory effect of ibrutinib on CLL and T cells and monocytes. The clinical consequences of time-dependent changes in HLA-DR expression in ibrutinib treated patients deserve further investigation.

sFasL-mediated induction of neutrophil activation in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Fas/Fas ligand system was shown to be related to insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). However, the role of soluble Fas ligand (sFasL) in functioning of immune cells in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has not been studied yet. The aim of the present study was to determine in vitro effects of sFasL on neutrophil activation and apoptosis. We demonstrate here that sFasL exhibited proinflammatory effect and induced mRNA levels of caspase-1, NF-κB, IL-1ß and CD18 expression. At the same time, sFasL induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. Activation of caspase-1 activity abolished sFasL-dependent apoptosis, and suppressed Fas expression and mRNA levels of caspase-3 in neutrophils from T2DM patients. Collectively, our findings identify a novel proinflammatory role of sFasL in T2DM neutrophils that is dependent of caspase activity. Thus, sFasL enhances inflammatory response of neutrophils from T2DM patients without increasing apoptosis suggesting its triggering role in T2DM inflammation.

Impaired Inflammatory Response to LPS in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a severe health problem worldwide, reaching epidemic levels. High susceptibility to infections of T2DM patients indicates dysregulated immune responses to pathogens. However, innate immune responses, including monocyte functions, in T2DM are poorly investigated. Therefore, in this study we aimed to assess lipopolysaccharide- (LPS-) induced immune responses of circulating monocytes from T2DM patients. The results showed that monocytes from T2DM were hyporesponsive to LPS challenge as reflected by significantly suppressed secretion of TNFα (p < 0.01) and expression of CD11b (p < 0.001) and TLR4 (p < 0.001) compared to those in monocytes from healthy subjects. Furthermore, LPS-induced IL-10 levels were similar in diabetic and healthy supernatants, while expression levels of CD163 were found to be downregulated on monocytes from T2DM (p < 0.001) suggesting impaired ability of monocytes to switch their phenotype to anti-inflammatory. Taken together, our results suggest compromised function of monocytes in T2DM, which may explain, at least partly, high incidence of infection in these patients.

The mRNA expression levels of uncoupling proteins 1 and 2 in mononuclear cells from patients with metabolic disorders: obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus.

INTRODUCTION: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and obesity are metabolic disorders whose major hallmark is insulin resistance. Impaired mitochondrial activity, such as reduced ratio of energy production to respiration, has been implicated in the development of insulin resistance. Uncoupling proteins (UCPs) are proton carriers, expressed in the mitochondrial inner membrane, that uncouple oxygen consumption by the respiratory chain from ATP synthesis. AIM: The aim of the study was to determine transcriptional levels of UCP1 and UCP2 in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from patients with metabolic disorders: T2DM, obesity and from healthy individuals. MATERIAL/METHODS: The mRNA levels of UCP1, UCP2 were determined by Real-Time PCR method using Applied Biosystems assays. RESULTS: The UCP1 mRNA expression level was not detectable in the majority of studied samples, while very low expression was found in PBMCs from 3 obese persons. UCP2 mRNA expression level was detectable in all samples. The median mRNA expression of UCP2 was lower in all patients with metabolic disorders as compared to the controls (0.20+0.14 vs. 0.010+0.009, p=0.05). When compared separately, the differences of medians UCP2 mRNA expression level between the obese individuals and the controls as well as between the T2DM patients and the controls did not reach statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS: Decreased UCP2 gene expression in mononuclear cells from obese and diabetic patients might contribute to the immunological abnormalities in these metabolic disorders and suggests its role as a candidate gene in future studies of obesity and diabetes.

Neutrophils in chronic lymphocytic leukemia are permanently activated and have functional defects.

A growing body of studies highlights involvement of neutrophils in cancer development and progression. Our aim was to assess the phenotypic and functional properties of circulating neutrophils from patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). The percentage of CD54+ and CD64+ neutrophils as well as CD54 expression on these cells were higher in CLL patients than in age-matched healthy controls. Neutrophils from CLL produced more reactive oxygen species (ROS) compared to controls in both resting and activated conditions. Lipopolysaccharide-induced production of IL-1ß and TNF-a as well as reduced TLR2 expression in neutrophils from CLL than in neutrophils from controls suggesting their tolerant state. Finally, phenotypic alterations of neutrophils, particularly elevation of CD64 and CD54 markers, correlated with disease activity and treatment, and low percentage of neutrophils. Taken together, the alterations in percentage and functional characteristics of neutrophils reflect the clinical course of CLL. Our data provide first evidence that neutrophils in CLL are permanently primed and have functional defects.