Activation of alveolar macrophages by native and synthetic collagen-like polypeptides.

Interstitial connective tissue fragments are known to be chemotactic for neutrophils and these have been implicated in mediating the migration of inflammatory cells to the lung following injury. In the present studies, we determined if degradation products of collagen also induced chemotaxis and functional activation of alveolar macrophages. For these studies, we used bovine dermal collagen digested with bacterial collagenase or cyanogen bromide and small molecular weight synthetic polypeptides containing proline (Pro), glycine (Gly), and hydroxyproline (Hyp). We found that collagenase or cyanogen bromide digests of native collagen, as well as synthetic polypeptides containing Pro and Gly in the pentameric (Pro-Pro-Gly)5 form, were potent chemoattractants for rat alveolar macrophages inducing migration in the nanomolar concentration range. We also found that native and synthetic collagen peptides stimulated the release of superoxide anion and hydrogen peroxide, as well as elastase and gelatinase release from alveolar macrophages. These effects were dose and time dependent, reaching a maximum after 72 h with 0.1 to 1 microM peptides. In contrast to chemotaxis, synthetic peptides containing Hyp also stimulated reactive oxygen intermediate and elastase release from the cells. Although the pentameric and decameric forms of the synthetic peptides were equally effective in stimulating elastase release, (Pro-Pro-Gly)5 and (Pro-Hyp-Gly)5 peptides were more active in inducing a respiratory burst. We also determined if alveolar macrophages were activated for cytotoxicity by collagen peptides. Treatment of the macrophages with native collagen digests or (Pro-Pro-Gly)5 was found to induce cytotoxicity of these cells towards both transformed and nontransformed rat-derived targets.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Summary of preclinical safety evaluation of gadoteridol injection.

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: To support clinical use of gadoteridol (0.5 M) injection, a battery of in vitro and in vivo safety studies was conducted. RESULTS: In mice, the acute intravenous LD50 for gadoteridol (0.5 M) injection was 11 to 14 mmol/kg, and the intravenous minimal lethal dose in rats was greater than 10 mmol/kg. In 2-week studies with gadoteridol, no serious effects were observed in mice given 3 mmol/kg or dogs given 1.5 mmol/kg daily. In a series of reproduction studies, no treatment-related adverse effects on fertility, reproductive performance, or postnatal development were seen in rats at doses of 1.5 mmol/kg or less, and no teratogenic effects were observed at doses as high as 6 mmol/kg in rabbits and 10 mmol/kg in rats. In an in vitro test, gadoteridol did not demonstrate any potential to hemolyze human erythrocytes when incubated in high concentrations with whole blood, suggesting there is little probability gadoteridol will cause hemolysis in vivo. CONCLUSIONS: A substantial margin of safety exists for the clinical use of gadoteridol in magnetic resonance imaging procedures.

Activation of neutrophils by factors released from alveolar macrophages stimulated with collagen-like polypeptides.

Oxidant-induced injury is associated with breakdown of interstitial collagen and the accumulation of inflammatory cells in the lungs. In previous studies, we demonstrated that phagocyte accumulation is mediated, in part, by chemotactic factors generated from damaged collagen. To determine if alveolar macrophages also mediate the migration of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) into the lungs, we examined the release of chemotactic factors from alveolar macrophages treated with native or synthetic collagenous peptides. These included fragments of bovine collagen digested with bacterial collagenase (CG) or cyanogen bromide (CB) as well as small molecular weight synthetic polypeptides containing proline (Pro), glycine (Gly), and hydroxyproline (Hyp), the major amino acids that comprise collagen. We found a dose- and time-related generation of PMN chemotactic activity by collagen peptide-treated macrophages. The maximum activity was released 72 h after pretreatment of macrophages for 1 to 3 h with 0.1 to 1 microM CG-, CB-, or (Pro-Pro-Gly)5-peptides. The native peptides derived from CG-digested collagen were more active than synthetic peptides containing Pro and Gly. Neither trypsin digests of bovine serum albumin nor synthetic peptides containing Hyp stimulated chemotactic factor release from macrophages. The alveolar macrophage-derived chemotactic factor was found to lose activity when dialyzed and after heat or trypsin treatment. The release of PMN-activating factors by collagen peptide-treated macrophages was also examined. Alveolar macrophage-conditioned medium was found to stimulate PMN production of reactive oxygen intermediates as well as elastase and gelatinase.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Neutrophil response following intratracheal instillation of collagen peptides into rat lungs.

Inflammatory lung diseases are associated with destruction of interstitial collagen and release of degraded collagen fragments into the lower respiratory tract. To determine whether degraded collagen might be one factor mediating the cellular influx, we measured polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid following intratracheal instillation of collagen peptides. The responses to collagenous peptides derived from collagen digested with bacterial collagenase and to the collagenous-like polytripeptide (proline-proline-glycine) were examined. Both types of collagen peptides were chemotactic for human PMN in vitro. Two days following instillation of 5 mg collagenous peptides, we observed a threefold increase in the percentage of PMN in lavage fluid with a maximum (fivefold) response on day 6. Since other chemoattractants produce a response within hours when instilled intratracheally, we postulated that the late neutrophil influx produced with collagen may be the result of production of a neutrophil chemoattractant by alveolar macrophages. Alveolar macrophages treated with collagenous or collagenous-like peptides released PMN chemotactic factors, and the time course of release of chemotactic activity by alveolar macrophages in vitro correlated with the in vivo finding of a 2-6-day delay in PMN accumulation in the lungs. These observations are consistent with the idea that collagen peptides may stimulate alveolar macrophages to produce chemotactic factors for neutrophils. This mechanism may play a role in the accumulation of phagocytic cells in the lung following injury.