satratoxin-h and Inflammation

Stachybotrys chartarum is an important toxigenic fungus that has been associated with respiratory disease onset in animals and humans. While it can be separated into macrocyclic trichothecene- and atranone-producing chemotypes based on secondary metabolite production, effects of spores of the two chemotypes on lungs are poorly understood. In this study we used bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) to investigate dose-response (30, 300, 3000 spores/g body weight [BW]) and time-course (3, 6, 24, 48, 96 h post instillation [PI]) relationships in mice to exposure of macrocyclic trichothecene- (JS 58-17) and atranone-producing (JS 58-06) S. chartarum strains, as well as Cladosporium cladosporioides spores. BALF total protein, albumin, pro-inflammatory cytokine (IL-1beta, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha [TNF-alpha]), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) concentrations showed significant (p < 0.05) fungal species (S. chartarum vs. C. cladosporioides) and strain (58-17 vs. 58-06), spore dose and time dependent changes. The no adverse effect level (NOAEL) due to exposure to spores of JS 58-17 and JS 58-06 was < 30 spores/g BW; for C. cladosporioides it was < 300 spores/g BW. At moderate and high S. chartarum doses, BALF composition reflects differences in strain toxicity while at the lowest dose, BALF composition of either S. chartarum strain were similar. This suggests that at low spore doses, it is spore sequestered factors common to both strains not strain dependent toxins that are contributing to lung disease onset.

Topics: Albumins; Animals; Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid; Inflammation; Interleukin-1; Interleukin-6; L-Lactate Dehydrogenase; Lung; Male; Mice; Mice, Inbred Strains; Mycotoxins; No-Observed-Adverse-Effect Level; Proteins; Spores, Fungal; Stachybotrys; Time Factors; Trichothecenes; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha

The satratoxins and other macrocyclic trichothecene mycotoxins are produced by Stachybotrys, a mold that is often found in water-damaged dwellings and office buildings. To test the potential immunomodulatory effects of these mycotoxins, RAW 264.7 murine macrophage cells were treated with various concentrations of satratoxin G (SG), isosatratoxin F (iSF), satratoxin H (SH), roridin A (RA), and verrucarin A (VA) for 48 h in the presence or absence of suboptimal concentra-tion of lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 50 ng/ml), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha ) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) production were assayed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). In LPS-stimulated cultures, TNF-alpha supernatant concentrations were significantly increased in the presence of 2.5, 2.5, and 1 ng/ml of SG, SH, and RA, respectively, whereas IL-6 concentrations were not affected by the same concentrations these macrocyclic trichothecenes. When cells that were treated with LPS and SG (2.5 ng/ml) were evaluated by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR),TNF-alpha mRNA was found to increase at 24, 36, and 48 h compared to control cells. At higher concentrations, cytokine production and cell viability were markedly impaired in LPS-stimulated cells. Without LPS stimulation, neither TNF-alpha, nor IL-6 was induced. These results indicate that low concentrations of macrocyclic trichothecenes superinduce expression of TNF-alpha, whereas higher concentrations of these toxins are cytotoxic and concurrently reduce cytokine production. The capacity of satratoxins and other macrocyclic trichothecenes to alter cytokine production may play an etiologic role in outbreaks of Stachybotrys-associated human illnesses.

Topics: Analysis of Variance; Animals; Cell Line; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Humans; Inflammation; Interleukin-6; Lipopolysaccharides; Lung Diseases, Fungal; Macrophage Activation; Macrophages; Mice; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Stachybotrys; Trichothecenes; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha