Platelet activating factor receptor regulates colitis-induced pulmonary inflammation through the NLRP3 inflammasome.

Extra-intestinal manifestations (EIM) are common in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). One such EIM is sub-clinical pulmonary inflammation, which occurs in up to 50% of IBD patients. In animal models of colitis, pulmonary inflammation is driven by neutrophilic infiltrations, primarily in response to the systemic bacteraemia and increased bacterial load in the lungs. Platelet activating factor receptor (PAFR) plays a critical role in regulating pulmonary responses to infection in conditions, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma. We investigated the role of PAFR in pulmonary EIMs of IBD, using dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) and anti-CD40 murine models of colitis. Both models induced neutrophilic inflammation, with increased TNF and IL-1ß levels, bacterial load and PAFR protein expression in mouse lungs. Antagonism of PAFR decreased lung neutrophilia, TNF, and IL-1ß in an NLRP3 inflammasome-dependent manner. Lipopolysaccharide from phosphorylcholine (ChoP)-positive bacteria induced NLRP3 and caspase-1 proteins in human alveolar epithelial cells, however antagonism of PAFR prevented NLRP3 activation by ChoP. Amoxicillin reduced bacterial populations in the lungs and reduced NLRP3 inflammasome protein levels, but did not reduce PAFR. These data suggest a role for PAFR in microbial pattern recognition and NLRP3 inflammasome signaling in the lung.

IL-6 Drives Neutrophil-Mediated Pulmonary Inflammation Associated with Bacteremia in Murine Models of Colitis.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is associated with several immune-mediated extraintestinal manifestations. More than half of all IBD patients have some form of respiratory pathology, most commonly neutrophil-mediated diseases, such as bronchiectasis and chronic bronchitis. Using murine models of colitis, we aimed to identify the immune mechanisms driving pulmonary manifestations of IBD. We found increased neutrophil numbers in lung tissue associated with the pulmonary vasculature in both trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid- and dextran sulfate sodium-induced models of colitis. Analysis of systemic inflammation identified that neutrophilia was associated with bacteremia and pyrexia in animal models of colitis. We further identified IL-6 as a systemic mediator of neutrophil recruitment from the bone marrow of dextran sulfate sodium animals. Functional inhibition of IL-6 led to reduced systemic and pulmonary neutrophilia, but it did not attenuate established colitis pathology. These data suggest that systemic bacteremia and pyrexia drive IL-6 secretion, which is a critical driver for pulmonary manifestation of IBD. Targeting IL-6 may reduce neutrophil-associated extraintestinal manifestations in IBD patients.

Ex Vivo Intestinal Sacs to Assess Mucosal Permeability in Models of Gastrointestinal Disease.

The epithelial barrier is the first innate defense of the gastrointestinal tract and selectively regulates transport from the lumen to the underlying tissue compartments, restricting the transport of smaller molecules across the epithelium and almost completely prohibiting epithelial macromolecular transport. This selectivity is determined by the mucous gel layer, which limits the transport of lipophilic molecules and both the apical receptors and tight junctional protein complexes of the epithelium. In vitro cell culture models of the epithelium are convenient, but as a model, they lack the complexity of interactions between the microbiota, mucous-gel, epithelium and immune system. On the other hand, in vivo assessment of intestinal absorption or permeability may be performed, but these assays measure overall gastrointestinal absorption, with no indication of site specificity. Ex vivo permeability assays using "intestinal sacs" are a rapid and sensitive method of measuring either overall intestinal integrity or comparative transport of a specific molecule, with the added advantage of intestinal site specificity. Here we describe the preparation of intestinal sacs for permeability studies and the calculation of the apparent permeability (Papp) of a molecule across the intestinal barrier. This technique may be used as a method of assessing drug absorption, or to examine regional epithelial barrier dysfunction in animal models of gastrointestinal disease.

Potential mechanisms regulating pulmonary pathology in inflammatory bowel disease.

Inflammatory bowel disease is associated with a number of comorbidities that arise at extraintestinal sites, including the lung. Pulmonary manifestations reported in inflammatory bowel disease include bronchiectasis, chronic bronchitis and importantly, a range of subclinical respiratory abnormalities that are often overlooked in routine clinical evaluation. Whereas evidence for the pulmonary manifestations of Inflammatory bowel disease is increasing, little is known about the immunologic and physiologic mechanisms regulating cross-talk between the gut and lung during disease. This review examines reported lung involvement in Inflammatory bowel disease and discusses the possible immune pathways that underlie pulmonary pathologies. These mechanisms include dysfunctional immune-cell homing, systemic inflammation, and microbial dysbiosis; all of which may contribute to Inflammatory bowel disease-induced pulmonary inflammation. These mechanisms are discussed in the context of our current knowledge of the shared mucosal immune system and the immunology of Inflammatory bowel disease.