Hyogo College of Medicine

About: Hyogo College of Medicine is a education organization based out in Nishinomiya, Hyôgo, Japan. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Cancer & Transplantation. The organization has 5030 authors who have published 10629 publications receiving 258734 citations. The organization is also known as: Hyōgo ika daigaku.

Plasmodium berghei Infection in Mice Induces Liver Injury by an IL-12- and Toll-Like Receptor/Myeloid Differentiation Factor 88-Dependent Mechanism

Abstract: Malaria, caused by infection with Plasmodium spp., is a life cycle-specific disease that includes liver injury at the erythrocyte stage of the parasite. In this study, we have investigated the mechanisms underlying Plasmodium berghei-induced liver injury, which is characterized by the presence of apoptotic and necrotic hepatocytes and dense infiltration of lymphocytes. Although both IL-12 and IL-18 serum levels were elevated after infection, IL-12-deficient, but not IL-18-deficient, mice were resistant to liver injury induced by P. berghei. Neither elevation of serum IL-12 levels nor liver injury was observed in mice deficient in myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88), an adaptor molecule shared by Toll-like receptors (TLRs). These results demonstrated a requirement of the TLR-MyD88 pathway for induction of IL-12 production during P. berghei infection. Hepatic lymphocytes from P. berghei-infected wild-type mice lysed hepatocytes from both uninfected and infected mice. The hepatocytotoxic action of these cells was blocked by a perforin inhibitor but not by a neutralizing anti-Fas ligand Ab and was up-regulated by IL-12. Surprisingly, these cells killed hepatocytes in an MHC-unrestricted manner. However, CD1d-deficient mice that lack CD1d-restricted NK T cells, were susceptible to liver injury induced by P. berghei. Collectively, our results indicate that the liver injury induced by P. berghei infection of mice induces activation of the TLR-MyD88 signaling pathway which results in IL-12 production and activation of the perforin-dependent cytotoxic activities of MHC-unrestricted hepatic lymphocytes.

Myocardial stiffness is determined by ventricular fibrosis, but not by compensatory or excessive hypertrophy in hypertensive heart

Abstract: Objectives: Diastolic dysfunction that determines symptoms and prognosis in patients with systolic dysfunction causes heart failure even in the absence of systolic dysfunction. Our recent studies have suggested that myocardial stiffening is likely to play a crucial role in triggering deleterious cardiac disorder. This study investigated differential contribution of left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy and fibrosis to myocardial stiffening in the pressure-overloaded heart. Methods: Dahl-Iwai salt-sensitive rats fed on high-salt diet since 7 weeks transit to congestive heart failure at 20 weeks following development of hypertension, LV hypertrophy and fibrosis, and 20 such rats were divided into three groups: rats treated with angiotensin II type 1 receptor antagonist from 8 weeks ( n = 7), rats treated with calcineurin inhibitor from 8 weeks ( n = 6), and untreated rats ( n = 7). Results: Administration of angiotensin II type 1 receptor antagonist and calcineurin inhibitor did not affect blood pressure and allowed the development of compensatory hypertrophy. However, in contrast to the untreated rats, additive and excessive LV hypertrophy was not observed in either of the treated rats. The blockade of angiotensin II kept LV hydroxyproline content, a ratio of type I to type III collagen mRNA levels, collagen solubility and myocardial stiffness constant at the normal level; however, the calcineurin inhibition failed. Conclusions: Myocardial stiffening may be attributed to progressive collagen accumulation, collagen phenotype shift and enhanced collagen cross-linking, but not to either compensatory LV hypertrophy or LV hypertrophy that progresses from the compensatory stage.

Interleukin 18 inhibits osteoclast formation via T cell production of granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor.

Abstract: IL-18 inhibits osteoclast (OCL) formation in vitro independent of IFN-gamma production, and this was abolished by the addition of neutralizing antibodies to GM-CSF. We now establish that IL-18 was unable to inhibit OCL formation in cocultures using GM-CSF-deficient mice (GM-CSF -/-). Reciprocal cocultures using either wild-type osteoblasts with GM-CSF -/- spleen cells or GM-CSF -/- osteoblasts with wild-type spleen cells were examined. Wild-type spleen cells were required to elicit a response to IL-18 indicating that cells of splenic origin were the IL-18 target. As T cells comprise a large proportion of the spleen cell population, the role of T cells in osteoclastogenesis was examined. Total T cells were removed and repleted in various combinations. Addition of wild-type T cells to a GM-CSF -/- coculture restored IL-18 inhibition of osteoclastogenesis. Major subsets of T cells, CD4+ and CD8+, were also individually depleted. Addition of either CD4+ or CD8+ wild-type T cells restored IL-18 action in a GM-CSF -/- background, while IL-18 was ineffective when either CD4+ or CD8+ GM-CSF -/- T cells were added to a wild-type coculture. These results highlight the involvement of T cells in IL-18-induced OCL inhibition and provide evidence for a new OCL inhibitory pathway whereby IL-18 inhibits OCL formation due to action upon T cells promoting the release of GM-CSF, which in turn acts upon OCL precursors.