Murine endotoxemia

Chlorpromazine (CPZ) and pentoxifylline (PTX) were shown to inhibit TNF release and improve survival during murine endotoxemia (Gl). CPZ (M25) and epinephrine (PI6) pretreatment markedly up-regulated IL-10 production induced by LPS, a phenomenon also observed with cyclosporine (Dl). PTX pretreatment did not affect LPS-induced IL-10 release. Thus, TNF and IL-10 can be differentially regulated during murine endotoxemia. The sustained or even increased production of IL-10 could play a role in the protective effects of these drugs against LPS toxicity in vivo. 

Harbrecht, B. G., Stadler, J., Demetris, A. J., Simmons, R. L., and Billiar, T. R. (1994). Nitric oxide and prostacyclin interact to prevent hepatic damage during murine endotoxemia. Am. J. Physiol. 266, G1004-G1010. 

Hartmann. G.. Cheung, A.K., and Piquette-Miller. M. (2002) Inflammatory cytokines, but not bile acids, regulate expression of murine hepatic anion transporters in endotoxemia. 

The other broad category of MSP actions on macrophages relates to mediator production. Endotoxin, or combinations of proinflammatory cytokines, causes expression of murine macrophage-inducible nitric oxide synthase, an effect that can be detected by Northern blots for the mRNA or by measurement of nitrate in the culture fluid. MSP prevents induction of NO-synthase by any of the above stimuli (Wang et al., 1994d). The inhibitory action of MSP is confined to this specific mediator. MSP did not inhibit endotoxin-induced expression of mRNA for monocyte chemoattractant protein-1. Furthermore, MSP caused secretion of IL-6 (but not IL-1 or TNFa) within 6 hr, and did not inhibit endotoxin-induced secretion of IL-1, IL-6, or TNFa (A. Skeel and E. J. Leonard, unpublished data). The in vitro modulation by MSP of endotoxin-induced NO production now has an in vivo counterpart. Concentrations of nitrate in serum of Stk / mice that received endotoxin intravenously were higher than in serum of comparably treated normal mice and at a critical endotoxin dose, only 20% of the Stk / mice survived, compared to 80% survival for normal mice (Correll et al., 1997). If MSP plays a role in the host response to endotoxemia, pro-MSP must be cleaved to biologically active MSP. Within 4 hr after i.v. administration of... 

Rovai LE, Herschman HR, Smith JB. The murine neutrophil-chemoattractant chemokines LIX, KC, and MIP-2 have distinct induction kinetics, tissue distributions, and tissue-specific sensitivities to glucocorticoid regulation in endotoxemia. J Leukoc Biol 1998 64 494-502. 

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