Production of interleukin-8 (IL-8) by cultured endothelial cells in response to Borrelia burgdorferi occurs independently of secreted [corrected] IL-1 and tumor necrosis factor alpha and is required for subsequent transendothelial migration of neutrophils.

Previous studies have shown that Borrelia burgdorferi, the spirochetal agent of Lyme disease, promotes inflammation by stimulating endothelial cells to upregulate adhesion molecules for leukocytes and to produce a soluble agent that is chemotactic for neutrophils. We determined that interleukin-8 (IL-8) was the chemotactic agent for neutrophils present in conditioned media from cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells stimulated with B. burgdorferi. As few as one spirochete per endothelial cell stimulated production of IL-8 within 8 h of coincubation. When 10 spirochetes per endothelial cell were added, IL-8 was detected after 4 h of coculture. Production of IL-8 continued in a linear fashion for at least 24 h. Neutralizing antibodies against IL-8 reduced migration of neutrophils across spirochete-stimulated endothelial monolayers by 93%. In contrast, pretreatment of neutrophils with antagonists of platelet-activating factor did not inhibit migration. Increases in production of IL-8 and expression of the adhesion molecule E-selectin by endothelial cells in response to B. burgdorferi were not inhibited by IL-1 receptor antagonist or a neutralizing monoclonal antibody directed against tumor necrosis factor alpha, used either alone or in combination. These results suggest that activation of endothelium by B. burgdorferi is not mediated through the autocrine action of secreted IL-1 or tumor necrosis factor alpha. Rather, it appears that B. burgdorferi must stimulate endothelium either by a direct signaling mechanism or by induction of a novel host-derived proinflammatory cytokine.

Tenidap inhibits replication of the human immunodeficiency virus-1 in cultured cells.

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) may be important in the pathogenesis of HIV-1 because of its ability to induce HIV-1 expression in infected cells in vitro. Tenidap, a structurally and functionally novel antirheumatic drug affecting diverse biologic processes, has been shown to reduce IL-6 production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells stimulated with lipopolysaccharide. Tenidap also inhibits the activity of chloride-bicarbonate exchangers and causes acidification of the cytoplasmic compartment that is similar to the effect of the anion transport inhibitor UK5099. Furthermore, tenidap inhibits the cyclooxygenase-mediated pathway of arachidonic acid metabolism as do the nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Here we show that tenidap decreased HIV-1 replication as measured by p24 core antigen in the acutely infected CD4+ T-lymphocyte lines H9 and Jurkat, in the acutely infected monocyte line U937, and in its chronically infected subclone U1.8/HIV. These effects were seen at concentrations in the range of 3 to 15 microM, well below those toxic to cells. The antiviral effects of tenidap may be independent of its ability to reduce IL-6 production based on the observations that these effects were as prominent in IL-6 nonresponsive lines as in IL-6 responsive lines and that the inhibition of p24 production was not reversed by exogenous IL-6.

Human umbilical vein endothelial cells possess binding sites for the globular domain of C1q.

Binding sites for both the collagen-like and globular domains of C1q have been described on a variety of cell types. HUVEC were previously shown to express the 60- to 67-kDa receptor recognizing the collagen-like domain of C1q. This study demonstrates the presence of a distinct 28- to 33-kDa HUVEC protein (gC1qR) that interacts with the globular head domain of C1q. Polyclonal Abs raised against the Raji cell gC1qR partially inhibited HUVEC interaction with immobilized C1q and recognized a 28- to 33-kDa protein on Western blots. The Ab also reacted strongly with poly-L-lysine-immobilized, glutaraldehyde-fixed, intact HUVEC in ELISA assays. No significant difference in reactivity was noted if HUVEC were permeabilized with 0.2% Triton X-100. However, unfixed HUVEC grown on gelatin-coated microtiter wells to 80% confluence failed to express significant amounts of gC1qR Ag. Quantitation of HUVEC gC1qR by gel scanning suggested the presence of 5.7 +/- 3.8 x 10(6) molecules/cell (mean +/- SD; n = 4). A quantitative sandwich ELISA procedure, however, detected only 3.7 +/- 0.6 x 10(5) gC1qR molecules/cell (mean +/- SD; n = 4), consistent with previously described gC1qR multimerization. The capacity of endothelial cells to recognize both the collagen-like and globular domains of C1q via distinct binding sites may have implications for the role of C1q in vascular inflammatory and thrombotic lesions.