Mohammed Arras

A Profibrotic Function of IL-12p40 in Experimental Pulmonary Fibrosis

The p40 subunit of IL-12 (IL-12p40), but not the heterodimeric form IL-12p70, is secreted during the development of silica-induced lung fibrosis in C57BL/6 mice. To delineate the contribution of IL-12p40 to the lung inflammatory and fibrotic processes, we compared the pulmonary responses with silica particles of IL-12p35-deficient mice (IL-12p35−/−, able to produce IL-12p40) and IL-12p40-deficient mice (IL-12p40−/−). IL-12p35−/− and IL-12p40−/− animals developed strikingly contrasting responses to silica in comparison with wild-type C57BL/6 mice. Although the IL-12p40−/− mice exhibited limited inflammatory and fibrotic reactions, the IL-12p35−/− mice presented a robust and well-developed pulmonary inflammation and fibrosis. Furthermore, the silica-induced increase in lung IL-12p40 content was significantly higher in IL-12p35−/− mice than in wild-type controls, and was associated with extensive lung fibrosis and pulmonary macrophage infiltration. The contrasting responses observed between these two IL-12 subunit-deficient murine strains were not accompanied by a strict type 1 or type 2 polarization as estimated by the measurements of lung IFN-γ/IgG2a and IL-4/IgG1 content. In vitro proliferation, type I collagen expression, as well as myofibroblast differentiation of purified pulmonary fibroblasts were not affected by treatment with exogenous rIL-12p40. In vivo, supplementation with rIL-12p40 restored the impaired pulmonary fibrotic response and macrophage accumulation in silica-treated IL-12p40−/− mice, and also promoted fibrosis and macrophage influx in wild-type mice. Together, our data suggest that IL-12p40 plays an important role in silica-induced pulmonary inflammation and fibrosis, possibly by exacerbating macrophage recruitment.

The role of pro- and anti-inflammatory responses in silica-induced lung fibrosis.

BackgroundIt has been generally well accepted that chronic inflammation is a necessary component of lung fibrosis but this concept has recently been challenged.MethodsUsing biochemical, histological, immunohistochemistry, and cellular analyses, we compared the lung responses (inflammation and fibrosis) to fibrogenic silica particles (2.5 and 25 mg/g lung) in Sprague-Dawley rats and NMRI mice.ResultsRats treated with silica particles developed chronic and progressive inflammation accompanied by an overproduction of TNF-α as well as an intense lung fibrosis. Dexamethasone or pioglitazone limited the amplitude of the lung fibrotic reaction to silica in rats, supporting the paradigm that inflammation drives lung fibrosis.In striking contrast, in mice, silica induced only a limited and transient inflammation without TNF-α overproduction. However, mice developed lung fibrosis of a similar intensity than rats. The fibrotic response in mice was accompanied by a high expression of the anti-inflammatory and fibrotic cytokine IL-10 by silica-activated lung macrophages. In mice, IL-10 was induced only by fibrotic particles and significantly expressed in the lung of silica-sensitive but not silica-resistant strains of mice. Anti-inflammatory treatments did not control lung fibrosis in mice.ConclusionThese results indicate that, beside chronic lung inflammation, a pronounced anti-inflammatory reaction may also contribute to the extension of silica-induced lung fibrosis and represents an alternative pathway leading to lung fibrosis.

Local and systemic immune responses to intratracheal instillation of antigen and DNA vaccines in mice

AbstractPurpose. The purpose of this study was to determine the immunization efficacy of antigen and DNA vaccines after delivery to the lung, to assess the integrity of the pulmonary tissue after vaccination, and to elucidate mechanisms involved in the induction of immunity. Methods. Ovalbumin, the plasmid encoding ovalbumin, the hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), or plasmid encoding HBsAg were intratracheally instilled or injected in quadriceps in mice. The immune response and its Th polarization were analyzed over time. Markers of inflammation were measured in bronchoalveolar lavage, and lung histology was performed. The fate of ovalbumin following intratracheal instillation was studied. Results. According to the vaccine, the pulmonary route produced stronger or equivalent humoral and cellular responses systemically and locally in the lung as compared to injection. The IgG subclasses and cytokine pattern indicate that the immunity was preferentially polarized toward the Th2 and Th1 type for antigen and DNA immunization, respectively. Ovalbumin penetrated the respiratory tissue and blood poorly after intratracheal instillation, suggesting that the immune response was triggered at airway surfaces. Overall, vaccines delivered to the lung did not induce any local sign of inflammation. Conclusions. Pulmonary administration of vaccines might be a promising alternative to conventional vaccination by injection.

IL-9 protects against bleomycin-induced lung injury: involvement of prostaglandins.

IL-9 is a Th2 cytokine that exerts pleiotropic activities, and might be involved in the regulation of lung inflammatory processes. To characterize the activity of IL-9 on lung injury, we compared the pulmonary responses to bleomycin (blm) in IL-9 transgenic (Tg5) and wild-type (FVB) mice. Following intratracheal instillation of lethal doses of blm, the mortality rate was markedly reduced in Tg5 mice compared to their wild-type counterparts (ie, 25% mortality for Tg5 versus 85% for FVB mice, 21 days after instillation of 0.05U blm/mouse). Histological and biochemical analyses showed that blm induced less lung injury and less epithelial damage in Tg5 as compared to FVB animals. This protection of Tg5 mice was accompanied by an expansion of eosinophils and B cells in the lungs. In addition, TGF-beta and prostaglandin-E2 (PGE2) levels in broncho-alveolar lavage fluid were also increased in transgenic mice. The contribution of B cells and eosinophils to the protective mechanism did not appear essential since eosinophil-deficient (IL-5 KO) and B-deficient (muMT) mice overexpressing IL-9 were also resistant to high doses of blm. We could rule out that TGF-beta was a key factor in the protective effect of IL-9 by blocking this mediator with neutralizing antibodies. Indomethacin treatment, which inhibited PGE2 production in both strains, suppressed the protection in Tg5 mice, supporting the idea that IL-9 controls blm-induced lung injury through a prostaglandin-dependent mechanism.