thromboxane-a2 and Neutropenia

Both tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and platelet-activating factor (PAF) are released during sepsis and are important mediators of septic lung injury. I investigated the interactions of TNF and PAF on vasoactive responses in the pulmonary circulation. In isolated rat lungs perfused with a cell- and plasma-free physiological salt solution, PAF (0.01- and 0.1-micrograms boluses) caused transient dose-dependent pulmonary arterial and venous constrictions. In vivo pretreatment of the rats with TNF (0.02 or 0.2 mg/kg i.v.) 1 h before lung isolation increased lung myeloperoxidase activity and markedly enhanced PAF-induced pulmonary vasoconstriction without affecting the pressor responses to angiotensin II or hypoxia. In contrast, pretreatment with lipopolysaccharide (10 mg/kg), which increased lung myeloperoxidase to the same extent as TNF, caused only a modest enhancement of PAF-induced vasoconstriction associated with reduced pressor responses to angiotensin II and hypoxia. Ex vivo perfusion of isolated lungs with TNF for 1 h did not affect PAF vasoconstriction. The TNF-induced potentiation of PAF vasoconstriction was not altered by depletion of circulating neutrophils with vinblastine but was blocked by Dazmegrel, a thromboxane synthase inhibitor. Thus, TNF potentiates PAF-induced pulmonary vasoconstriction by an in vivo mechanism that is neutrophil independent but thromboxane dependent. This TNF-PAF interaction likely contributes to the development of pulmonary hypertension during sepsis.

Topics: Animals; Blood Pressure; Drug Synergism; Imidazoles; In Vitro Techniques; Lipopolysaccharides; Male; Neutropenia; Neutrophils; Platelet Activating Factor; Pulmonary Circulation; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Thromboxane A2; Thromboxane-A Synthase; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; Vasoconstriction

Platelet-activating factor (PAF) is released in vitro during human and rabbit polymorphonuclear neutrophil (PMN) aggregation induced by C5a anaphylatoxin, neutrophil cationic proteins (CP) and their carboxypeptidase-B-derived fragments, C5a des Arg and CP des Arg, as well as phagocytosis of opsonized baker's yeast particles and immune complexes (IC). Purified PAF itself is able to cause in vitro PMN aggregation. By using selective inhibitors, we show that PMN aggregation, induced either by PAF or by other soluble stimuli such as C5a, CP and their des Arg products, follows a similar metabolic pathway, which is both adenosine-diphosphate-(ADP)- and arachidonic acid (AA)- independent. The in vivo injection of purified PAF into rabbits leads both to formation of intravascular PMN aggregates and to development of acute neutropenia, which has the same features as those observed after challenge with IC, C5a and CP. In this respect, electron-microscopic studies of intravascular PMN aggregates in the pulmonary capillary network and glomeruli show identical ultrastructural patterns. Moreover, the intravascular release of PAF is demonstrated after the intravenous injection of IC and temporally correlated with the development of neutropenia. We suggest that PAF is probably the final, common, effector substance of IC-, C5a-, C5a-des-Arg-, CP-, CP-des-Arg-mediated PMN aggregation.

Topics: Adenosine Diphosphate; Animals; Antigen-Antibody Complex; Arachidonic Acids; Blood Platelets; Blood Proteins; Cell Aggregation; Complement C5; Cytochalasin B; Humans; Neutropenia; Neutrophils; Phagocytosis; Rabbits; Thromboxane A2