Nitric oxide (NO) may play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of periodontal disease and, hence, the aim of the present study was to test the hypothesis that Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans surface-associated material (SAM) stimulates inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) activity and NO production by the murine macrophage cell line RAW264.7. Cells were stimulated with untreated or heat-treated A. actinomycetemcomitans SAM and with or without pre-treatment with L-N(6)-(1-Iminoethyl)-lysine (L-NIL) (an iNOS inhibitor), polymyxin B, interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) and Interleukin-4 (IL-4), IL-10, genistein [a protein tyrosine kinase (PTK) inhibitor], bisindolylmaleimide [a protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitor], bromophenacyl bromide (BPB) [a phospholipase A(2) (PLA2) inhibitor] or wortmannin [phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI-3K) inhibitor]. The iNOS activity and nitrite production in the cell cultures were determined. Untreated but not heat-treated A. actinomycetemcomitans SAM-stimulated both iNOS activity and nitrite production in RAW264.7 cells. L-NIL, IL-4, IL-10, genistein, bisindolylmaleimide, or BPB, suppressed but IFN-γ enhanced both iNOS activity and nitrite production by A. actinomycetemcomitans SAM-stimulated cells. Wortmannin and polymyxin B failed to alter both iNOS activity or nitrite production by A. actinomycetemcomitans SAM treated cells. Therefore, the present study suggests that a heat-sensitive protein constituent(s) of A. actinomycetemcomitans SAM stimulates both iNOS activity and nitrite production by RAW264.7 cells in a cytokine, PTK, PKC, and PLA(2) but not PI-3K-dependent fashion.
The aim of this study was to determine the effect of exogenous nitric oxide (NO) on the induction of murine splenic immune response to Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in vitro. BALB/c mice were immunized with A. actinomycetemcomitans LPS and a control group was sham-immunized. Spleen cells were obtained, cultured and stimulated with A. actinomycetemcomitans LPS with or without the presence of S-nitroso acetyl-penicillamine (SNAP), a NO donor, and carboxy-PTIO, an NO scavenger. Culture supernatants were assessed for inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) activity, specific IgG subclass levels, and both IFN-gamma and IL-4 levels. The results showed that in A. actinomycetemcomitans LPS-stimulated cells, SNAP enhances iNOS activity but inhibits the levels of specific IgG2a and IFN-gamma suggesting a Th1 response. The effect of SNAP on these immune parameters was ablated by carboxy-PTIO. These results suggest that exogenous NO may suppress the Th1-like immune response of A. actinomycetemcomitans LPS-stimulated murine spleen cells.
Human osteoblasts induced by inflammatory stimuli express an inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). The aim of the present study was to test the hypothesis that Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans lipopolysaccharide stimulates the production of nitric oxide (NO) by a human osteoblast-like cell line (HOS cells).
The aim of this study was to determine the role of CD4 and CD8 cells on specific antibody production by murine Peyer's patch (PP) cells after oral immunization with Actinomyces viscosus in mice. Female DBA/2 mice were orally immunized with three low doses of heat-killed A. viscosus. Sham-immunized mice served as a control group. Mice were depleted of CD4 or CD8 cells by intraperitoneal injection of anti-CD4 or anti-CD8 antibodies daily for 3 days before oral immunization. One week after the last oral immunization, PPs were removed and cell suspensions were cultured with A. viscosus. Specific antibody production in the culture supernatants was assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The results showed that oral immunization with A. viscosus induced a predominant specific immunoglobulin A (IgA) response by PP cells and, to a lesser extent, IgM antibodies. Depletion of CD4 but not CD8 cells suppressed the production of specific antibodies. These results suggest that oral immunization with low doses of A. viscosus may induce the production of specific antibodies by murine PP cells in a CD4-cell-dependent fashion.
Mucosal presentation of Actinomyces viscosus results in the induction of antigen specific systemic suppressor cells in mice. The aim of the present study was to determine the phenotype of the suppressor cells responsible for the induction of oral tolerance to low doses of A. viscosus. When CD8 cell-depleted DBA/2 mice were intragastrically immunized and systemically immunized with A. viscosus, the delayed type hypersensitivity response was suppressed but not the levels of antigen specific serum antibodies. Adoptive transfer of orally tolerized CD4(+) cells to CD4(+)-depleted mice resulted in suppression of delayed type hypersensitivity response but not of the levels of antigen specific serum antibodies. In contrast, adoptive transfer of orally immunized CD8(+) cells to CD8(+)-depleted mice resulted in partially suppressed delayed type hypersensitivity response but significantly inhibited the levels of antigen specific serum antibodies. When orally tolerized CD8(+) cells were cocultured with systemically immunized CD8(+) cell-depleted spleen cells, splenic specific antibodies were inhibited. However, no suppression of splenic specific antibodies could be observed in the cultures containing orally tolerized CD4(+) cells and systemically immunized CD4(+) cell-depleted spleen cells. The results of the present study suggest that oral tolerance of humoral and cellular immunity induced by low doses of A. viscosus may be mediated by CD8(+) and CD4(+) cells, respectively.
Mucosal presentation of Actinomyces viscosus results in antigen-specific systemic immune suppression, known as oral tolerance. The aim of the present study was to determine the mechanism by which this oral tolerance is induced. DBA/2 mice were gastrically immunized with A. viscosus. Serum, Peyer's patch (PP) and spleen cells were transferred to syngeneic recipients which were then systemically challenged with the sameiA. viscosus strain. To determine antigen-specificity of cells from gastrically immunized mice, recipients which received immune spleen cells were also challenged with Porphyromonas gingivalis. One week after the last systemic challenge, the delayed type hypersensitivity (DTH) response was determined by footpad swelling and the level of serum IgG, IgA and IgM antibodies to A. viscosus or P. gingivalis measured by an ELISA. No suppression of DTH response or of specific serum antibodies was found in recipients which received serum from gastrically immunized mice. Systemic immune suppression to A. viscosus was observed in recipients which had been transferred with PP cells obtained 2 days but not 4 and 6 days after gastric immunization with A. viscosus. Conversely, suppressed immune response could be seen in recipients transferred with spleen cells obtained 6 days after gastric immunization. The immune response to P. gingivalis remained unaltered in mice transferred with A. viscosus-gastrically immunized cells. The results of the present study suggest that oral tolerance induced by A. viscosus may be mediated by antigen-specific suppressor cells which originate in the PP and then migrate to the spleen.
The aim of this study was to determine nitric oxide (NO) production of a murine macrophage cell line (RAW 264.7 cells) when stimulated with Porphyromonas gingivalis lipopolysaccharides (Pg-LPS). RAW 264.7 cells were incubated with i) various concentrations of Pg-LPS or Salmonella typhosa LPS (St-LPS), ii) Pg-LPS with or without L-arginine and/or NG-monomethyl-L-arginine (NMMA), an arginine analog or iii) Pg-LPS and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) with or without anti-IFN-gamma antibodies or interleukin-10 (IL-10). Tissue culture supernatants were assayed for NO levels after 24 h in culture. NO was not observed in tissue culture supernatants of RAW 264.7 cells following stimulation with Pg-LPS, but was observed after stimulation with St-LPS. Exogenous L-arginine restored the ability of Pg-LPS to induce NO production; however, the increase in NO levels of cells stimulated with Pg-LPS with exogenous L-arginine was abolished by NMMA. IFN-gamma induced independent NO production by Pg-LPS-stimulated macrophages and this stimulatory effect of IFN-gamma could be completely suppressed by anti-IFN-gamma antibodies and IL-10. These results suggest that Pg-LPS is able to stimulate NO production in the RAW 264.7 macrophage cell model in an L-arginine-dependent mechanism which is itself independent of the action of IFN-gamma.
The aim of this study was to determine the role of intracellular proteins in phagocytosis of opsonized Porphyromonas gingivalis by RAW264.7 cells, a murine macrophage-like cell line. This periodontopathogen was grown anaerobically and opsonized with an IgG2a murine monoclonal anti-P. gingivalis lipopolysaccharide antibody. RAW264.7 cells were preincubated with protein tyrosine kinase inhibitors (staurosporine and genistein), protein kinase C inhibitors (phorbol myristic acetate and bisindolylmaleimide), a serine/threonine phosphatase inhibitor (okadaic acid), a phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase inhibitor (worthmannin), phospholipase A2 inhibitors (bromophenacyl bromide and nordihydroguaiaretic acid), phospholipase C inhibitors (p-chloromercuriphenyl sulfonate and neomycin sulfate), an actin-filament depolymerizer (cytochalasin D), and a microtubule disrupting agent (colchicine). Inhibitor-treated macrophages were then incubated with the opsonized P. gingivalis and the phagocytosed cells determined microscopically. The results showed the percentage of the phagocytosed organisms decreased when the cells were preincubated with protein tyrosine kinase, protein kinase C, protein phosphatase and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase inhibitors. Of interest, preincubation with phorbol myristic acetate for 30 min increased the ability of RAW264.7 cells to phagocytose the opsonized organisms. Phospholipase A2 and phospholipase C inhibitors only slightly reduced the number of phagocytosed organisms. The results indicated that opsonophagocytosis of P. gingivalis by RAW264.7 cells might be determined by the activation of protein tyrosine kinase, protein kinase C, protein phosphatases, and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase inhibitor. Both phospholipase A2 and phospholipase C would appear to be involved to a lesser extent. The opsonophagocytosis of this periodontopathogen would also appear to be dependent upon actin and microtubule polymerization.
Elevated nitric oxide (NO) has been associated with destructive periodontal disease. The aim of the present study was to test the hypothesis that exogenous NO may inhibit a protective immune response to Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in a murine model.
The aim of the present study was to determine the role of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) on arginase activity in a murine macrophage cell line (RAW264.7 cells) stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans.
The aim of the present study was to determine whether or not lipopolysaccharide from Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans could stimulate arginase activity in a murine macrophage cell line (RAW264.7 cells).
It has previously been suggested that CD4+ T cells play a pivotal role in regulating the immune response to periodontal pathogens. The aim of the present study therefore was to determine delayed type hypersensitivity (DTH), spleen cell proliferation, serum and splenic anti-Porphyromonas gingivalis antibody levels, and lesion sizes following challenge with viable P. gingivalis in CD4-depleted BALB/c mice immunized with P. gingivalis outer membrane proteins (OMP).
Animal studies suggest that inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) may be associated with destructive periodontal disease. l-N(6)-(1-Iminoethyl)-lysine (L-NIL) has been shown to inhibit iNOS in a selective manner, and hence the aim of the present study was to test the hypothesis that treatment with l-NIL may induce a T-cell helper 1 (Th1)-like immune response by Aggregatibacter (Actinobacillus) actinomycetemcomitans lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated murine spleen cells in vitro. BALB/c mice were either sham-immunized or immunized with A. actinomycetemcomitans LPS. Spleen cells were stimulated with A. actinomycetemcomitans LPS in the presence or absence of L-NIL. Nitric oxide (NO), iNOS activity, specific IgG subclass antibodies, interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), and interleukin-4 (IL-4) levels and cell proliferation were determined. The results showed that treatment with L-NIL suppressed both NO production and iNOS activity but enhanced specific IgG2a, IFN-gamma levels, and increased cell proliferation following stimulation with A. actinomycetemcomitans LPS-stimulated cells. The results of the present study suggest that inhibition of iNOS activity by L-NIL may skew the A. actinomycetemcomitans LPS-stimulated murine splenic immune response towards the Th1-like immune profile in vitro.
Inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) activity is known to regulate the immune response. The present study was carried out to determine the effect of L-N6-(1-iminoethyl)-lysine (L-NIL), an iNOS inhibitor, on the induction of immune response to Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans lipopolysaccharide in mice.