Intracellular macrophage cell

NOS products of neurons, epithelial cells and other cells in the lung have both bronchodilator and inflammatory properties (Gaston etal., 1994b) the specific nature of this bioactivity depends on the chemical characteristics of the functional products in the specific microenvironment under consideration. For example, NO is capable of complexing with and affecting the activity of a variety of metalloproteins and enzymes, such as guanylyl cyclase and ribonucleotide reductase (Nathan, 1992 Stamler et al., 1992). NO can also complex with superoxide anion to form peroxynitrite, which has a cytotoxic immune effector role (Radi etal., 1991 Stamler etal., 1992). Furthermore, NO can form iron nitrosyl complexes, which are the putative intracellular macrophage products of iNOS responsible for lysis of intracellular parasites (Hibbs... 

Intracellular macrophage inflammatory protein-2 was found mainly in the endoplasmic reticulum of primary cultured rat pneumocytes in response to lipopolysaccharide stimulation (Xavier et al. 1999). The amount of MIP-2 produced in these cells is at a magnitude similar to that from macrophages. Its production in rat pneumoctes is regulated at... 

The antiinflammatory effects of statins likely result from their ability to inhibit the formation of mevalonic acid. Downstream products of this molecule include not only the end product, cholesterol, but also several isoprenoid intermediates that covalently modify ( pre-nylate ) certain key intracellular signaling molecules. Statin treatment reduces leukocyte adhesion, accumulation of macrophages, MMPs, tissue factor, and other proinflammatory mediators. By acting on the MHC class II transactivator (CIITA), statins also interfere with antigen presentation and subsequent T-cell activation. Statin treatment can also limit platelet activation in some assays as well. All these results support the concept that in addition to their favorable effect on the lipid profile, statins can also exert an array of antiinflammatory and immunomodulatory actions. 

---