1. |
- Fu, Jinrong, et al.
(author)
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Anti-ischemia/reperfusion of C1 inhibitor in myocardial cell injury via regulation of local myocardial C3 activity.
- 2006
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In: Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications - BBRC. - : Elsevier BV. - 0006-291X .- 1090-2104. ; 350:1, s. 162-8
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- C3 is common to all pathways of complement activation augmenting ischemia/reperfusion (I/R)-induced myocardial injury and cardiac dysfunction. Complement inhibition with the complement regulatory protein, C1 inhibitor (C1INH), obviously exerts cardioprotective effects. Here, we examine whether C1INH regulates C3 activity in the ischemic myocardial tissue. C1INH markedly suppressed C3 mRNA expression and protein synthesis in both a model of I/R-induced rat acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and the cultured rat H9c2 heart myocytes. At least, this regulation was at the transcriptional level in response to oxygen tension. In vitro, C3 deposition on, and binding to, the surface of rat myocardial cells were significantly blocked by C1INH treatment. C1INH could inhibit classical complement-mediated cell lysis via suppressing the biological activity of C3. Therefore, C1INH, in addition to inhibition of the systemic complement activation, prevents myocardial cell injury via a direct inhibitory role in the local myocardial C3 activity.
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2. |
- Eriksson, Per-Olof, et al.
(author)
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Spontaneous development of otitis media in plasminogen-deficient mice
- 2006
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In: International Journal of Medical Microbiology. - : Elsevier BV. - 1438-4221 .- 1618-0607. ; 296:7, s. 501-509
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Inflammatory conditions of the ear, otitis media, are one of the most common disease entities in children. In this study, the role of the plasminogen (plg)/plasmin system for the spontaneous development of chronic otitis media was investigated by the analysis of plg-deficient mice. Whereas essentially all of the wild-type control mice kept a healthy status of the middle ear, all the plg-deficient mice gradually developed chronic otitis media with various degrees of inflammatory changes during an 18-week observation period. Five bacterial strains were identified in materials obtained from the middle ear cavities of six plg-deficient mice. Morphological studies revealed the formation of an amorphous mass tissue and inflammatory changes in the middle ears of plg-deficient mice. Immunohistochemical studies further indicate a mass infiltration of neutrophils and macrophages as well as the presence of T and B cells in the middle ear mucosa of these mice. Extensive fibrin deposition and an abnormal keratin formation were also observed in the tympanic membrane, the middle ear cavity and external ear canal in these mice. These results suggest that plg plays an essential role in protecting against the spontaneous development of chronic otitis media. Our findings also suggest the possibility of using plg for clinical therapy of certain types of otitis media.
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3. |
- Fu, Jinrong, et al.
(author)
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Anti-apoptotic role for C1 inhibitor in ischemia/reperfusion-induced myocardial cell injury.
- 2006
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In: Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications - BBRC. - : Elsevier BV. - 0006-291X .- 1090-2104. ; 349:2, s. 504-12
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Complement activation augments myocardial cell injury and apoptosis during ischemia/reperfusion (I/R), whereas complement system inhibition with C1 inhibitor (C1INH), a serine protease inhibitor, exerts markedly cardioprotective effects. Our recent data demonstrate that C1INH prevents vascular endothelial cell apoptosis and a "modified" form of the reactive center loop-cleaved, inactive C1INH (iC1INH) plays an anti-inflammatory role in endotoxin shock. The aim of this study was to determine whether C1INH protects against myocardial cell injury via an anti-apoptotic activity or anti-inflammatory effect. In a rat model of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) induced by I/R, administration of C1INH protected against cardiomyocytic apoptosis via normalization of ratio of the Bcl-2/Bax expression in the myocardial infarct area. C1INH improved parameters of cardiac function and hemodynamics and reduced myocardial infarct size (MIS). In addition, myocardial and blood myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity, a marker of neutrophil infiltration, was decreased by treatment of C1INH. In cultured H9c2 rat cardiomyocytic cells, C1INH blocked hypoxia/reoxygenation-induced apoptosis in the absence of sera associated with inhibition of cytochrome c translocation and suppression of caspase-3 activation. The proportion of Bcl-2/Bax expression induced by hypoxia/reoxygenation was reversed by C1INH. Importantly, iC1INH also revealed these similar effects, indicating that C1INH has a direct anti-apoptotic activity. Therefore, these studies support the hypothesis that C1INH, in addition to inhibition of activation of the complement and contact systems, improves outcome in I/R-mediated myocardial cell injury via an anti-apoptotic activity independent of serine protease inhibitory activity.
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5. |
- Guo, Jinan, et al.
(author)
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Non-invasive Urine Test for Molecular Classification of Clinical Significance in Newly Diagnosed Prostate Cancer Patients
- 2021
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In: Frontiers in Medicine. - : Frontiers Media S.A.. - 2296-858X. ; 8
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Objective: To avoid over-treatment of low-risk prostate cancer patients, it is important to identify clinically significant and insignificant cancer for treatment decision-making. However, no accurate test is currently available.Methods: To address this unmet medical need, we developed a novel gene classifier to distinguish clinically significant and insignificant cancer, which were classified based on the National Comprehensive Cancer Network risk stratification guidelines. A non-invasive urine test was developed using quantitative mRNA expression data of 24 genes in the classifier with an algorithm to stratify the clinical significance of the cancer. Two independent, multicenter, retrospective and prospective studies were conducted to assess the diagnostic performance of the 24-Gene Classifier and the current clinicopathological measures by univariate and multivariate logistic regression and discriminant analysis. In addition, assessments were performed in various Gleason grades/ISUP Grade Groups.Results: The results showed high diagnostic accuracy of the 24-Gene Classifier with an AUC of 0.917 (95% CI 0.892-0.942) in the retrospective cohort (n = 520), AUC of 0.959 (95% CI 0.935-0.983) in the prospective cohort (n = 207), and AUC of 0.930 (95% 0.912-CI 0.947) in the combination cohort (n = 727). Univariate and multivariate analysis showed that the 24-Gene Classifier was more accurate than cancer stage, Gleason score, and PSA, especially in the low/intermediate-grade/ISUP Grade Group 1-3 cancer subgroups.Conclusions: The 24-Gene Classifier urine test is an accurate and non-invasive liquid biopsy method for identifying clinically significant prostate cancer in newly diagnosed cancer patients. It has the potential to improve prostate cancer treatment decisions and active surveillance.
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6. |
- Guo, Yongzhi, et al.
(author)
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Beneficial and detrimental effects of plasmin(ogen) during infection and sepsis in mice
- 2011
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In: PLOS ONE. - : Public Library of Science. - 1932-6203. ; 6:9
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Plasmin has been proposed to be an important mediator during inflammation/infection. In this study, by using mice lacking genes for plasminogen, tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA), and urokinase-type PA (uPA), we have investigated the functional roles of active plasmin in infection and sepsis. Two models were used: an infection model by intravenous injection of 1x10(7) CFU of S. aureus, and a sepsis model by intravenous injection of 1.6x10(8) CFU of S. aureus. We found that in the infection model, wild-type (WT) mice showed significantly higher survival rates than plasminogen-deficient (plg(-/-)) mice. However, in the sepsis model, plg(-/-) or tPA(-/-)/uPA(-/-) mice showed the highest survival rate whereas WT and tPA(+/-)/uPA(+/-) mice showed the lowest survival rate, and plg(+/-), tPA(-/-), and uPA(-/-) mice had an intermediate survival rate. These results indicate that the levels of active plasmin are critical in determining the survival rate in the sepsis, partly through high levels of inflammatory cytokines and enhanced STAT3 activation. We conclude that plasmin is beneficial in infection but promotes the production of inflammatory cytokines in sepsis that may cause tissue destruction, diminished neutrophil function, and an impaired capacity to kill bacteria which eventually causes death of these mice.
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7. |
- Guo, Yongzhi, et al.
(author)
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Protective effects of plasmin(ogen) in a mouse model of Staphylococcus aureus-induced arthritis
- 2008
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In: Arthritis and rheumatism. - : Wiley. - 0004-3591 .- 1529-0131. ; 58:3, s. 764-772
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Objective: To assess the functional roles of plasmin in a murine model of Staphylococcus aureus-induced bacterial arthritis. Methods: Bacterial arthritis was induced in plasminogen-deficient (Plg-/-) and wild-type (Plg+/+) littermates by local injection of 1 × 106 colony-forming units of S aureus into the knee joints. Human plasminogen was administered to Plg-/- mice on days 0-7 or days 7-14. Antibiotic treatment was administered to Plg-/- mice on days 7-14. Bacteria counts and histologic, immunohistochemical, and Western blot analyses were performed. Results: In Plg+/+ mice, S aureus counts had declined within 2 days, and by day 28 the bacteria had been completely eliminated. However, S aureus was still detectable in all injected joints from Plg-/- mice, and bacteria counts were 27 times higher than the amount injected on day 0. The extent of macrophage and neutrophil recruitment to the infected joints was comparable for Plg+/+ and Plg-/- mice on days 1, 7, and 14. The activation of these inflammatory cells appeared to be impaired in Plg-/- mice, however. Treatment of Plg-/- mice with antibiotic (cloxacillin) resulted in successful killing of the bacteria, but the necrotic tissue remained in the infected joints. When human plasminogen was given intravenously to Plg-/- mice daily for 7 days, bacterial clearance was greatly improved as compared with their untreated counterparts, and the amount of necrotic tissue in the joint cavity was dramatically reduced. The expression of interleukin 6 (IL-6) and IL-10 was higher in Plg+/+ mice than in Plg-/- mice during bacterial arthritis. Conclusion: Our findings indicate that plasmin plays a pluripotent role in protecting against S aureus-induced arthritis by activating inflammatory cells, killing bacteria, removing necrotic tissue, and enhancing cytokine expression.
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9. |
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10. |
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11. |
- Hua, Dong, et al.
(author)
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Small interfering RNA-directed targeting of toll-like receptor 4 inhibits human prostate cancer cell invasion, survival, and tumorigenicity
- 2009
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In: Molecular Immunology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0161-5890 .- 1872-9142. ; 46:15, s. 2876-2884
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A major cause of tumor treatment failure is cancer cell metastasis. Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)-mediated signaling has been implicated in tumor cell invasion, survival, and metastasis in a variety of cancers. In this study, we investigated the biological roles of TLR4 in prostate metastatic cell invasion and survival, and the potential of gene silencing of TLR4 using small interfering RNA (siRNA) for treatment of cancer. In cultured human prostate cancer cell lines, TLR4 were higher PC3 and DU145 as compared with the poorly metastatic LNCaP indicating that up-regulation of TLR4 was positively correlated with metastasis of tumor cell. In the highly metastatic cancer cell PC3, gene silencing of TLR4 using siRNA significantly inhibited TLR4 mRNA expression and protein level. Knockdown of TLR4 in PC3 cells resulted in a dramatic reduction of tumor cell migration and invasion as indicated by a Matrigel invasion assay. Furthermore, TLR4 siRNA suppressed cell viability and ultimately caused the induction of apoptotic cell death. The effects were associated with abrogating TLR4-mediated signaling to downstream target molecules such as myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88), adaptor-inducing IFN-beta (TRIF), and interferon regulatory factor-1 (IRF-1). In a mouse prostate cancer model, administration with the plasmid construct expressing siRNA for TLR4 obviously inhibited established tumor growth and survival. These studies revealed evidence of a multifaceted signaling network operating downstream of TLR4-mediated tumor cell invasion, proliferation, and survival. Thus, RNA interference-directed targeting of TLR4 may raise the potential of its application for cancer therapy.
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12. |
- Johnson, Heather, et al.
(author)
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Development and validation of a 25-Gene Panel urine test for prostate cancer diagnosis and potential treatment follow-up
- 2020
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In: BMC Medicine. - : BioMed Central. - 1741-7015. ; 18
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Heterogeneity of prostate cancer (PCa) contributes to inaccurate cancer screening and diagnosis, unnecessary biopsies, and overtreatment. We intended to develop non-invasive urine tests for accurate PCa diagnosis to avoid unnecessary biopsies. Methods: Using a machine learning program, we identified a 25-Gene Panel classifier for distinguishing PCa and benign prostate. A non-invasive test using pre-biopsy urine samples collected without digital rectal examination (DRE) was used to measure gene expression of the panel using cDNA preamplification followed by real-time qRTPCR. The 25-Gene Panel urine test was validated in independent multi-center retrospective and prospective studies. The diagnostic performance of the test was assessed against the pathological diagnosis from biopsy by discriminant analysis. Uni- and multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to assess its diagnostic improvement over PSA and risk factors. In addition, the 25-Gene Panel urine test was used to identify clinically significant PCa. Furthermore, the 25-Gene Panel urine test was assessed in a subset of patients to examine if cancer was detected after prostatectomy. Results: The 25-Gene Panel urine test accurately detected cancer and benign prostate with AUC of 0.946 (95% CI 0.963–0.929) in the retrospective cohort (n = 614), AUC of 0.901 (0.929–0.873) in the prospective cohort (n = 396), and AUC of 0.936 (0.956–0.916) in the large combination cohort (n = 1010). It greatly improved diagnostic accuracy over PSA and risk factors (p < 0.0001). When it was combined with PSA, the AUC increased to 0.961 (0.980–0.942). Importantly, the 25-Gene Panel urine test was able to accurately identify clinically significant and insignificant PCa with AUC of 0.928 (95% CI 0.947–0.909) in the combination cohort (n = 727). In addition, it was able to show the absence of cancer after prostatectomy with high accuracy. Conclusions: The 25-Gene Panel urine test is the first highly accurate and non-invasive liquid biopsy method without DRE for PCa diagnosis. In clinical practice, it may be used for identifying patients in need of biopsy for cancer diagnosis and patients with clinically significant cancer for immediate treatment, and potentially assisting cancer treatment follow-up.
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13. |
- Li, Jinan, et al.
(author)
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Contrasting roles of plasminogen deficiency in different rheumatoid arthritis models.
- 2005
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In: Arthritis and Rheumatism. - : Wiley. - 0004-3591 .- 1529-0131. ; 52:8, s. 2541-2548
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- OBJECTIVE: To investigate the contrasting roles of plasminogen deficiency between models of collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) and antigen-induced arthritis (AIA). METHODS: We developed a new animal model of arthritis, which we have called local injection-induced arthritis (LIA). In this model, we replaced methylated bovine serum albumin, which is normally used as an immunogen and is injected intraarticularly into the knee joint, with type II collagen (CII) to induce AIA. The severity of CIA, LIA, and AIA in wild-type and plasminogen-deficient mice was evaluated by clinical scoring or histologic grading. Necrosis was determined by histology and immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: After CII immunization alone, wild-type mice developed arthritis in most of the paws as well as in the knee joints, whereas plasminogen-deficient mice were totally resistant to the disease. Local knee injections of CII or saline slightly enhanced the severity of the knee arthritis in wild-type mice during a 60-day experimental period. Unexpectedly, the plasminogen-deficient mice also developed arthritis in joints that were injected with CII or saline. However, the arthritis was milder than that in their wild-type littermates. Sustained tissue necrosis was found only in the plasminogen-deficient mice after the local injection. CONCLUSION: Our data show that both the antigen and the joint trauma caused by the local injection are critical to explaining the contrasting roles of plasminogen deficiency in CIA and AIA. This further indicates that CIA and AIA have distinct pathogenic mechanisms. The data also suggest that plasmin may be required for the induction of these arthritis models that are critically dependent on complement activation.
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14. |
- Li, Jinan, 1975-
(author)
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Multifunctional roles of plasmin in inflammation : Studies of animal models on rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, wound healing and infection
- 2005
-
Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Plasmin has been suggested to be involved in degradation of extracellular matrix (ECM) and tissue remodeling during a number of physiological and pathological processes. The aims of this thesis were to study the functional roles of plasmin during pathological inflammation in autoimmune and nonautoimmune disease models of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), multiple sclerosis (MS), wound healing and infection. In order to explain the obtained results in our functional studies as well as some previous results on the functional roles of plasmin during different tissue remodeling processes, I propose that there is a functional correlation between absence of plasmin and an inability to activate complement. The role of plasminogen during autoimmune collagen type II-induced arthritis (CIA) was studied first. The data revealed that whereas 83% of wild-type (plg+/+) mice developed CIA, none of the plasminogendeficient (plg-/-) mice got arthritis within a 40-day period. When plg+/+ mice were injected with a mixture of monoclonal antibodies against collagen type II they developed arthritis within a 5-day period, whereas no arthritis could be seen in plg-/- mice, although these mice had normal binding of antibody to the cartilage surface. These data suggest that plasmin plays an essential role in the step between antibody binding and inflammatory cell infiltration during CIA, probably during the step of complement activation. When plg+/+ and plg-/- mice were injected intra-articularly with collagen type II or 0.9% NaCl following CIA induction, plg-/- mice developed typical CIA, but the disease was less severe than in the plg+/+ mice and restricted to the injected joints. Sustained tissue necrosis was found only in the plg-/- mice after the local injection. When the antigen-induced arthritis (AIA) model was used, plg-/- mice developed a much more severe arthritis than the plg+/+ mice. These results indicate that different forms of pathogenesis exist for CIA and AIA, and further emphasize the importance of trauma in the induction of CIA in plg-/- mice. We further investigated the role of plasmin in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), which is an autoimmune disease model for MS. During a 2-month period, the severity, incidence, mean onset day, mean maximal score and mean accumulative score of EAE were essentially identical in plg-/- and plg+/+ mice of B10.Q background. Histopathological studies revealed similar levels of inflammation and demyelination in plg-/- and plg+/+ mice. These data indicate that plasmin does not play an essential role in the development of EAE. The findings that plasmin is essential for the development of CIA but not needed for the development of EAE suggest that plasmin may play a pivotal role in autoimmune diseases where complement activation is critically involved in the pathogenesis. The role of plasmin was also studied in a tympanic membrane (TM) wound healing model. After TM perforations were performed, the plg+/+ TMs had all healed by day 11, whereas TM healing was completely arrested in plg-/- mice even as late as day 143. Immunohistochemical studies revealed a disturbed inflammation and tissue remodeling pattern in plg-/- mice. These data indicate that plasmin plays a central role in the healing of TM perforations. The involvement of plasminogen in ear infections was also investigated in plg-/- mice. During an 18-week experimental period, spontaneous otitis media (OM) was essentially developed in all of the plg-/- mice, whereas all of the plg+/+ mice kept a normal TM status. Positive bacterial growth was found in 5 out of 6 plg-/- mice, but only in 1 out of 6 plg+/+ mice. Immunohistochemical studies showed an accumulation of inflammatory cells, fibrin and also other extracellular matrix in the middle-ear cavity and the external-ear canal of plg-/- mice. These results show a spontaneous development of OM in plg-/- mice, but not in plg+/+ controls, suggesting that plasmin plays a critical role in the defense mechanisms during ear infections. Taken together, plasmin appears to play essential roles during autoimmune and non-autoimmune diseases in which complement activation is critical in the pathogenesis.
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15. |
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16. |
- Li, Jinan, et al.
(author)
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Plasmin/plasminogen is essential for the healing of tympanic membrane perforations.
- 2006
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In: Thrombosis and Haemostasis. - 0340-6245 .- 2567-689X. ; 96:4, s. 512-519
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Plasminogen has been proposed to play an important role in different tissue remodeling processes such as wound healing and tissue regeneration after injuries. The healing of tympanic membrane perforations is a well-organized chain of inflammatory events, with an initial invasion of inflammatory cells followed by reparative and restoration phases. Here we show that the healing of tympanic membrane perforations is completely arrested in plasminogen-deficient mice, with no signs of any healing even 143 days after perforation. Inflammatory cells were recruited to the wounded area, but there were no signs of tissue debridement. In addition, removal of fibrin, keratinocyte migration and in-growth of connective tissue were impaired. This contrasts with skin wound healing, where studies have shown that, although the healing process is delayed, it reaches completion in all plasminogen-deficient mice. Our finding that keratinocyte migration and re-epithelialization were completely arrested in plasminogen-deficient mice indicates that plasminogen/plasmin plays a more profound role in the healing of tympanic membrane perforations than in the healing of other epithelial wounds.
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17. |
- Li, Jinan, et al.
(author)
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The plasminogen activator/plasmin system is essential for development of the joint inflammatory phase of collagen type II-induced arthritis.
- 2005
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In: American Journal of Pathology. - New York : Elsevier. - 0002-9440 .- 1525-2191. ; 166:3, s. 783-792
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The plasminogen activator (PA) system has been proposed to have important roles in rheumatoid arthritis. Here we have used the autoimmune collagen type II (CII)-induced arthritis (CIA) model and mice deficient for urokinase-type PA (uPA) or plasminogen to investigate the role of the PA system for development of arthritis. Our data revealed that uPA-deficient mice have a lower severity and incidence of CIA than wild-type mice. Furthermore, although >80% of wild-type control mice developed CIA, we found that none of the 50 plasminogen-deficient littermates that were tested developed CIA within a 40-day period. Antibody generation after CII immunization as well as the binding of labeled anti-CII antibodies to the surface of cartilage were similar in wild-type and plasminogen-deficient mice. No sign of inflammation was seen when plasminogen-deficient mice were injected with a mixture of monoclonal antibodies against CII. However, after daily injections of human plasminogen, these mice developed arthritis within 5 days. Our finding that infiltration of inflammatory cells into the synovial joints was impaired in plasminogen-deficient mice suggests that uPA and plasminogen are important mediators of joint inflammation. Active plasmin is therefore essential for the induction of pathological inflammatory joint destruction in CIA.
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18. |
- Liu, Dongxu, et al.
(author)
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C1 inhibitor-mediated protection from sepsis.
- 2007
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In: Journal of Immunology. - 0022-1767 .- 1550-6606. ; 179:6, s. 3966-72
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- C1 inhibitor (C1INH) protects mice from lethal Gram-negative bacterial LPS-induced endotoxin shock and blocks the binding of LPS to the murine macrophage cell line, RAW 264.7, via an interaction with lipid A. Using the cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) model for sepsis in mice, treatment with C1INH improved survival in comparison with untreated controls. The effect was not solely the result of inhibition of complement and contact system activation because reactive center-cleaved, inactive C1INH (iC1INH) also was effective. In vivo, C1INH and iC1INH both reduced the number of viable bacteria in the blood and peritoneal fluid and accelerated killing of bacteria by blood neutrophils and peritoneal macrophages. In vitro, C1INH bound to bacteria cultured from blood or peritoneal fluid of mice with CLP-induced sepsis, but had no direct effect on bacterial growth. However, both C1INH and iC1INH enhanced the bactericidal activity of blood neutrophils and peritoneal exudate leukocytes. C1INH-deficient mice (C1INH-/- mice) subjected to CLP had a higher mortality than did wild-type littermate mice. Survival of C1INH-/- mice was significantly increased with two doses of C1INH, one given immediately following CLP, and the second at 6 h post-CLP. C1INH may be important in protection from sepsis through enhancement of bacterial uptake by, and/or bactericidal capacity of, phagocytes. Treatment with C1INH may provide a useful additional therapeutic approach in some patients with peritonitis and/or sepsis.
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19. |
- Prestwich, Annika Hansson, et al.
(author)
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Lack of plasminogen does not alter the early inflammatory response following a tympanic membrane perforation : a study in plasminogen-deficient mice.
- 2008
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In: Acta Oto-Laryngologica. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0001-6489 .- 1651-2251. ; 128:12, s. 1294-1302
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- CONCLUSIONS: The results of the present study show that the early inflammatory response in plasminogen (plg)-deficient mice is not altered compared to that in wild-type (wt) mice. Therefore the chronicity of the perforation in the long-term healing experiment cannot be explained by an impairment of the early inflammatory response, but rather by an impairment in activation of the inflammatory cells. These findings give further insight into the mechanisms resulting in a clinically seen chronic tympanic membrane (TM) perforation and thus possible therapeutic strategies to replace today's conventional surgical treatment of these perforations. OBJECTIVES: Plg has been shown to play an essential role in the healing of TM perforations. In plg-deficient mice a completely arrested healing reaction was seen, resulting in a chronic TM perforation. The mechanisms involved seem to be an abundant neutrophil recruitment, an accumulation of macrophages, an arrested keratinocyte migration, and a massive deposition of fibrin along the TM tissue. However, the exact functional role of plg in the early inflammatory response during healing of TM perforation remains unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the early inflammatory response, mainly the occurrence of macrophages and neutrophils, during the first 48 h following a perforation in the pars tensa (PT) of the TM, in mice lacking the plasminogen gene compared to the corresponding response in wt mice. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The TMs were perforated in 45 plg-deficient and 39 wt mice. Otomicroscopic evaluation was performed at 3, 6, 9, 12, 18, 24, and 48 h after the perforation was made. Mice were harvested at all time points and prepared for morphology including immunohistochemistry (IHC). IHC was performed with antibodies targeting macrophages, neutrophils, T and B cells, cytokeratin, and fibrin(ogen). Morphometry was performed regarding the volume percentage of TM tissue occupied by the different inflammatory cells. RESULTS: Perforation of the TM resulted in early otomicroscopic changes of the pars flaccida (PF) in both genotypes. Infiltration of inflammatory cells to PF and the presence of edema occurred as early as 6 h after the perforation was made, in both plg-deficient and wt mice. Morphometry did not reveal any significant differences between the genotypes concerning the occurrence of inflammatory cells. In contrast to the PF, the PT showed only sparse reactions during the experimental period. Furthermore, the migration pattern of keratinocytes did not differ between the genotypes throughout the experimental period.
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20. |
- Shen, Yue, 1981-, et al.
(author)
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Plasminogen initiates and potentiates the healing of acute and chronic tympanic membrane perforations in mice
- 2014
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In: Journal of Translational Medicine. - : BioMed Central. - 1479-5876. ; 12
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Most tympanic membrane (TM) perforations heal spontaneously, but approximately 10-20% remain open as chronic TM perforations. Chronic perforations can lead to an impaired hearing ability and recurrent middle ear infections. Traditionally, these perforations must be surgically closed, which is costly and time consuming. Therefore, there is a need for simpler therapeutic strategies. Previous studies by us have shown that plasminogen (plg) is a potent pro-inflammatory regulator that accelerates cutaneous wound healing in mice. We have also shown that the healing of TM perforations is completely arrested in plg-deficient (plg(-/-)) mice and that these mice develop chronic TM perforations. In the present study, we investigated the therapeutic potential of local plg injection in acute and chronic TM perforation mice models. Methods: Plg(-/-) mice and wild-type mice were subjected to standardized TM perforations followed by local injection of plg into the soft tissue surrounding the TM. TM perforations with chronic characteristics were induced by leaving TM perforations in plg(-/-) mice untreated for 9 days before treatment. The healing process was observed through otomicroscope and finally confirmed by immunostaining. The quality of TM healing was evaluated based on the morphology of the TM. Result: Daily local injections of plg into the soft tissue surrounding the TM restored the ability to heal TM perforations in plg(-/-) mice in a dose-dependent manner, and potentiated the healing rate and quality in wild-type mice. A single local injection of plg initiated the healing of the chronic-like TM perforations in these mice, resulting in a closed TM with a continuous but rather thick outer keratinocyte layer. However, three plg injections led to a completely healed TM with a thin keratinizing squamous epithelium covering a connective tissue layer. Conclusion: Our data suggests that plg is a promising drug candidate for the treatment of chronic TM perforations in humans.
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21. |
- Shen, Yue, et al.
(author)
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Plasminogen is a key proinflammatory regulator that accelerates the healing of acute and diabetic wounds
- 2012
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In: Blood. - Washington, USA : American society of hematology. - 0006-4971 .- 1528-0020. ; 119:24, s. 5879-5887
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Despite decades of research on wound healing, effective biologic agents for the treatment of chronic wounds, especially diabetic wounds, are still lacking. In the present study, we report that the inert plasma protein plasminogen (plg) acts as a key regulatory molecule that potentiates wound healing in mice. Early in the healing process, plg bound to inflammatory cells is transported to the wound area, where the level of plg is increased locally, leading to the induction of cytokines and intracellular signaling events and to a potentiation of the early inflammatory response. Systemic administration of additional plg not only accelerates the healing of acute burn wounds in wild-type mice, but also improves the healing of chronic diabetic wounds in a mouse model of diabetes. Our results suggest that the administration of plg may be a novel therapeutic strategy to treat many different types of wounds, especially chronic wounds such as those caused by diabetes. (Blood. 2012; 119(24):5879-5887)
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22. |
- Sulniute, Rima, et al.
(author)
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Plasmin is essential in preventing periodontitis in mice
- 2011
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In: American Journal of Pathology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0002-9440 .- 1525-2191. ; 179:2, s. 819-828
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Periodontitis involves bacterial infection, inflammation of the periodontium, degradation of gum tissue, and alveolar bone resorption, which eventually leads to loss of teeth. To study the role of the broad-spectrum protease plasmin in periodontitis, we examined the oral health of plasminogen (Plg)-deficient mice. In wild-type mice, the periodontium was unaffected at all time points studied; in Plg-deficient mice, periodontitis progressed rapidly, within 20 weeks. Morphological study results of Plg-deficient mice revealed detachment of gingival tissue, resorption of the cementum layer, formation of necrotic tissue, and severe alveolar bone degradation. IHC staining showed massive infiltration of neutrophils in the periodontal tissues. Interestingly, doubly deficient mice, lacking both tissue- and urokinase-type plasminogen activators, developed periodontal disease similar to that in Pig-deficient mice; however, mice lacking only tissue- or urokinase-type plasminogen activator remained healthy. Supplementation by injection of Pig-deficient mice with human plasminogen for 10 days led to necrotic tissue absorption, inflammation subsidence, and full regeneration of gum tissues. Notably, there was also partial regrowth of degraded alveolar bone. Taken together, our results show that plasminogen is essential for the maintenance of a healthy periodontium and plays an important role in combating the spontaneous development of chronic periodontitis. Moreover, reversal to healthy status after supplementation of Pig-deficient mice with plasminogen suggests the possibility of using plasminogen for therapy of periodontal diseases. (Am J Pathol 2011, 179:819-828; DOI: 10.1016/j.ajpath.2011.05.003)
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23. |
- Sulniute, Rima, et al.
(author)
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Plasminogen is a critical regulator of cutaneous wound healing
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Other publication (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Wound healing is a well-orchestrated, complex process leading to the repair of injured tissues. Two major proteolytic systems, the matrix metalloproteases and the plasminogen activator system, are involved in this process. The lack of plasminogen (plg) has previously been reported to cause a delay in wound closure in mice, and to be complemented by matrix metalloproteases. However, our previous finding that tympanic membrane perforations in plgdeficient mice do not heal indicated that plg has more important function in wound healing than previously regarded. In later studies, we have found that plg accumulates in the wound early during the healing process and potentiates the inflammatory response and the healing. In the present study, we have used incision and burn wound models in wild-type and plgdeficient mice to further investigate the role of plg in the later phases of the healing process, including its role after re-epithelization. In addition to the earlier observed delay of wound reepithelizationin plg-deficient mice, we have found that the tissue remodeling processes that take place after re-epithelization is also impaired in these mice. By morphological and immunohistochemical analyses, we found that plg-deficient mice had delayed granulationtissue formation, and were unable to clear the provisional matrix. Extensive fibrin deposition and persistent neutrophil infiltration even at day 60 post-wounding indicate that the inflammation was present subcutaneously in plg-deficient mice even at later time points. Importantly, intravenous or subcutaneous supplementation of plg-deficient mice by human plg led to a restored healing rate, and a healing pattern that was comparable to that in wildtype mice. Therefore, in addition to its important function in early stages of cutaneous wound healing, plg is also crucial for later phases, by clearing fibrin deposits and resolving inflammation after full re-epithelization of the wound. Our results suggest that plg may be a potential therapeutic agent for improving the healing of different types of skin wounds.
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24. |
- Sulniute, Rima, et al.
(author)
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Plasminogen is a critical regulator of cutaneous wound healing
- 2016
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In: Thrombosis and Haemostasis. - 0340-6245 .- 2567-689X. ; 115:5, s. 1001-1009
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Wound healing is a complicated biological process that consist of partially overlapping inflammatory, proliferation and tissue remodelling phases. A successful wound healing depends on a proper activation and subsequent termination of the inflammatory phase. The failure to terminate the inflammation halts the completion of wound healing and is a known reason for formation of chronic wounds. Previous studies have shown that wound closure is delayed in plasminogen deficient mice, and a role for plasminogen in dissection of extracellular matrix was suggested. However, our finding that plasminogen is transported to the wound by inflammatory cells early during the healing process, where it potentiates inflammation, indicates that plasminogen may also have other roles in the wound healing process. Here we report that plasminogen-deficient mice have extensive fibrin and neutrophil depositions in the wounded area long after re-epithelialisation, indicating inefficient debridement and chronic inflammation. Delayed formation of granulation tissue suggests that fibroblast function is impaired in the absence of plasminogen. Therefore, in addition to its role in the activation of inflammation, plasminogen is also crucial for subsequent steps, including resolution of inflammation and activation of the proliferation phase. Importantly, supplementation of plasminogen-deficient mice with human plasminogen leads to a restored healing process that is comparable to that in wild-type mice. Besides of being an activator of the inflammatory phase during wound healing, plasminogen is also required for the subsequent termination of inflammation. Based on these results, we propose that plasminogen may be an important future therapeutic agent for wound treatment.
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25. |
- Zhang, Haimou, et al.
(author)
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An anti-endotoxin peptide that generates from the amino-terminal domain of complement regulatory protein C1 inhibitor.
- 2007
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In: Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications - BBRC. - : Elsevier BV. - 0006-291X .- 1090-2104. ; 359:2, s. 285-91
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- C1 inhibitor (C1INH), a complement regulatory protein, prevents endotoxin shock via a direct interaction of the amino-terminal domain with gram-negative bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Importantly, the cleaved, inactive C1INH still is an anti-endotoxin effector indicating the anti-endotoxin peptide that generates from the amino-terminal domain of C1INH. In this study, we first identified that a cleaved fragment within the major part of the amino-terminal domain in in vitro proteolytic analysis of C1INH had an ability to bind to LPS. We synthesized several peptides overlapping the C1INH cleaved fragment. Among these synthetic peptides, a 13-mer derivative peptide at position from 18 to 30, named N2((18-30)), exhibited the most powerful anti-endotoxin activity in vitro, enlightening that it was most strong at binding to LPS, inhibiting the interaction of LPS with LPS-binding protein (LBP), blocking LPS binding to CD14(+) cells, and suppressing production of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha by murine macrophages, RAW 264.7. In the murine endotoxin shock model, the peptide N2((18-30)) protected mice from LPS-induced lethal septic shock by inhibiting macrophage activation. These data indicate that the peptide N2((18-30)) derived from the amino-terminal region of C1INH is anti-endotoxin.
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