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Biomedical subjects

A Nowotny

Publications and source records attributed to A Nowotny.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

Macrophage factors that enhance the antibody response.

The immunological mechanism of the primary in vitro antibody responses to sheep erythrocyte antigens involves soluble immunomodulatory factors. These studies have demonstrated that the stimulation of immunocytes with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced the release of a helper factor which appeared to be a monokine. This helper factor was released by stimulated adherent splenocyte cultures but not by nonadherent cell populations. The P388D-transformed macrophage cell line also produced the factor in response to LPS. LPS-induced helper factors were absorbed from solution by bone marrow cells but not by thymocytes, thereby indicating that the factor may selectively bind to B-cells or to undifferentiated stem cells. Mature T-cells did not appear to be involved in the immunostimulatory effects of this macrophage-derived factor as evidenced by the results of several studies. These included observations that splenocytes from athymic BALB/c nu nu mice both produced the factor and responded to it.

Animals↗

Biological activity of the slime and endotoxin of the periodontopathic organism Eikenella corrodens.

A partially purified water-soluble slime extract was obtained from two strains of the oral pathogen Eikenella corrodens, designated CS10 A and CS10 B. Endotoxin was also isolated from this organism by the phenol-water extraction procedure. Assays including the local Shwartzman skin reactivity, chicken embryo lethality, Limulus lysate clotting, spleen cell mitogenicity, and immune adjuvancy were used to test the biological properties of these two bacterial extracts. In each of these assay systems the endotoxins of the Eikenella corrodens strains demonstrated the classical endotoxic responses. In contrast, the effect of slime extract in the corresponding assays was either extremely low or absent with the exception of a very strong immunosuppressive effect. Mice treated with slime extract showed a severely reduced immune response to sheep erythrocytes as measured by the hemolytic plaque-forming cell assay.

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Suppression of the immune response in C3H/HeJ mice by protein-free lipopolysaccharides.

The experiments described herein demonstrate the plaque-forming cell response of C3H/HeJ mice can be suppressed by a Boivin type lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and a deproteinized glycolipid. Suppression was observed both in vivo and in vitro, and could be transferred to normal cells in coculture experiments. This newly discovered effect of LPS in C3H/HeJ mice indicates that the adjuvant and inhibitory action of LPS may be distinct phenomena which are under different genetic regulation. Thus, the C3H/HeJ strain provides a convenient animal model for study of immunosuppression independent of the adjuvant effect.

Animals↗

Bone marrow colony-stimulating factor and tumor resistance-enhancing activity of postendotoxin mouse sera.

The passive transfer of postendotoxin mouse serum could enhance nonspecific resistance to the development of TA3-Ha transplantable ascites tumor in mice. The postendotoxin serum was not directly cytotoxic to TA3-Ha tumor cells in vitro, nor did it contain significant amounts of residual endotoxin, but it was rich in colony-stimulating factors (CSFs). High-titer CSF serum could be induced by endotoxic lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Nonendotoxic, lipid-free, and polysaccharide-rich hydrolytic breakdown product of LPS (called PS) was less potent but still active in CSF induction. There was a correlation between the level of CSF stimulation and the capacity of the sera to transfer tumor resistance (TUR). Those LPS preparations that had the highest CSF-inducing capacity were the most potent in TUR enhancement. Suppression of CSF production by treatment with theophylline or epinephrine, enhancers of cyclic AMP/cyclic GMP ratios, lowered the enhancement of TUR by endotoxic LPS. The infection of serum donor mice with bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) 18 days prior to LPS treatment gave the highest serum CSF levels and the most potent TUR-inducing serum preparation. Even more notable was the finding that the nontoxic PS preparation could replace toxic LPS in the above BCG-LPS system. The serum harvested from BCG-infected mice 2 hr after PS injection was similarly effective in the passive transfer of TUR.

Animals↗

Role of bacterial products in periodontitis: immune response in gnotobiotic rats monoinfected with Eikenella corrodens.

The development of humoral and cell-mediated immune responses to Eikenella corrodens (a bacterium that causes periodontal lesions in gnotobiotic rats) was measured and compared with the rate of appearance of macroscopic lesions. A possible inverse relationship was found. A strong cell-mediated immune response, as measured by skin reactivity and lymphocyte mitogenesis, occurred between 4 and 6 weeks after infection and subsided soon thereafter to a low response level. Humoral antibodies to endotoxin from E. corrodens could not be detected at any time. The disease developed only after the cell-mediated immune response diminished, thus suggesting that lack of an efficient immune response may permit the development of the disease. This is seemingly in contradiction to the assumption that tissue destruction in such cases is caused by the immune response and its products. We are inclined to believe, based on our findings reported here, that the lack of immune responsiveness to the bacterium and/or its products is the major causative factor in the development of periodontitis. At the same time, we wish to emphasize that occurrence of both phenomena during the long development of periodontal disease is possible.

Animals↗

Role of bacterial products in periodontitis: humoral immune response to Eikenella corrodens.

Eikenella corrodens can induce periodontitis-like disease in gnotobiotic rats. Some components of this bacterial cell elicit measurable humoral immune response during the development of the disease, but in this system endotoxin is not among the efficient immunogens. Because no humoral immune response could be seen to the endotoxin of Eikenella corrodens it is assumed that this endotoxin can act uncontrolled in monoinfected rats. Accordingly, the lack of protective humoral immune response to pathogenic components of Eikenella corrodens may be the major factor permitting the development of the disease described here. The possibility that both cell-mediated immunity and uncontrolled endotoxic action are parts of the pathomechanism of the disease is supported by our observations.

Animals↗

Immunocycte stimulation in vitro by nontoxic bacterial lipopolysaccharide derivatives.

Intact lipopolysaccharides (LPS), considered nonspecific enhancers of B cell responses, as well as nontoxic derivatives from Serratia marcescens LPS, were studied with regard to their ability to stimulate in vitro immune responses to a T-dependent antigen, sheep erythrocytes. Intact LPS, at a dose of 10 to 50 microgram, consistently enhanced the in vitro anti-SRBC immune response by normal splenocytes. The LPS also increased the background PFC response to SRBC in nonimmunized cultures. A chemically detoxified preparation derived from LPS (Mex B) had no stimulatory activity in vitro. A completely nontoxic, relatively small m.w., polysaccharide-rich preparation (PS), free of detectable lipid and protein, was stimulatory in vitro and at a dose of 10 microgram resulted in a 40 to 70% enhancement of the anti-SRBC response. The PS also stimulated an enhanced background response to SRBC as well as several other RBC species in nonimmunized cultures. PS had no mitogenic effect in vitro since addition of this bacterial derivative failed to stimulate thymidine incorporation into mouse splenocytes, as occurred with the intact LPS. The use of nontoxic preparations from gram-negative bacterial LPS for dissecting the stimulatory vs antigenic properties of bacterial products provides a model system for determining the role of a mitogenic stimulus in B cell activation.

Animals↗

Relationship of structure to function in bacterial endotoxins: serologically cross-reactive components and their effect on protection of mice against some gram-negative infections.

Rabbit antisera were prepared against the heptoseless Re mutants, Salmonella minnesota R595 and S. typhimurium SLI102, as well as against purified R595 glycolipid coated on autologous erythrocytes. The antisera cross-reacted with the endotoxic glycolipids extracted from Re mutants of various bacterial strains, including S. minnesota R595, S. typhimurium SLI102, Escherichia coli D3Im4, E. coli D2If2 and E. coli F515, as shown by passive haemagglutination and gel diffusion tests. The anti-Re sera also cross-reacted with the RESI preparations (a purified 'lipid A' fraction) from the endotoxic lipopolysaccharides of various heterologous smooth Gram-negative bacteria including Serratia marcescens. Psuedomonas fluorescens and E. coli 0127. However, the same antisera failed to protect mice against infection by Gram-negative bacteria such as Klebsiella pneumoniae type II, S. typhi 0901, P. aeruginosa 119 and E. coli. The results suggest that although the lipid moieties of the lipopolysaccharides in the cell wall of Gram-negative bacteria share cross-reactive immunodeterminant groups, these groups may not be accessible to antibody against them.

Animals↗

Discussion paper: dual effects of tumor antigens: induction of tumor resistance or tumor growth enhancement.

TA3-HA nonspecific tumors growing in ascites form shed their membrane components into the ascites fluid. This product can induce tumor growth enhancement if given together with or after i.p. tumor inoculation in relatively large quantities, but if given i.m. in small quantities, several days before tumor challenge, the mice show an elevated resistance to the tumor. The strictly strain-specific TA3-St line does not release such membrane components into the ascites fluid. It has also been found that the TA3-HA cells have a larger membrane fluidity than the TA3-St cells, as measured by membrane microviscosity, using the Shinitzki procedure. Isolation and gross chemical analysis of the TA3-Ha ascites fluid component was carried out. Results, so far, indicate that the active site of this product is probably carbohydrate in nature. The possible mode of action of such component in tumor growth enhancement is most probably by overwhelming and neutralizing immunocytes capable of recognition and eventually cytotoxic action.

Animals↗

Relationship of structure to function in bacterial endotoxins. IX. Differences in the lipid moiety of endotoxic glycolipids.

Chemical, immunochemical, chromatographic, and endotoxic properties of five chromatographically pure glycolipids were compared. The preparations were extracted by chloroform-methanol from three Escherichia coli, one Salmonella minnesota, and one S. typhimurium Re heptoseless mutant strains. The local Shwartzman skin assay, the nonspecific resistance-enhancing effect, and the Limulus assays could not distinguish among the five glycolipids, all five being active in all three assays. Significant differences could be seen when the tumor resistance-enhancing effect of the glycolipids in mice was compared with the nonspecific TA3-Ha murine mammary adenocarcinoma growing in ascites form. Even greater variation was observed in the capacity of the preparations to enhance the nonspecific resistance of mice to virulent S. typhi 0901 infections. The data show that the five glycolipids are quite dissimilar in their biological effects. Similarly, thin-layer chromatography and molecular ratio determinations showed that differences exist in the chemical structure of the glycolipids. Accordingly, we claim that not only the polysaccharide but the lipid moiety as well may vary in various gram-negative endotoxin preparations.

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Synthetic glycolipid adjuvants.

In the course of the organic synthesis of model compounds similar in some features to the lipid moiety of endotoxic lipopolysaccharide (LPS), Nacylated-D-glucosamine derivatives were prepared. One of these, N-palmitoyl-D-glucosamine, has been previously found to be mitogenic for athymic nude mouse B cells. This and other N-acylated homologs were tested for adjuvant activity in the immune response to human gamma-globulin (HGG) and sheep red blood cells (SRBC) in mice. Comparable or superior enhancement of the immune response was obtained for these glycolipids when compared to LPS in assays measuring anti-SRBC or HGG hemagglutinin titers. In the determination of hemolytic plaque formation, considerable adjuvant effect was shown by the lauroyl derivative, and less but still significant enhancement was achieved by the N-palmitoyl-D-glucosamine. In the rosette formation assay, in addition to the above two glycolipids, N-oleyl-D-glucosamine showed good adjuvant effect. In the latter two assays, the LPS was a superior adjuvant as compared to the synthetic glycolipids. The radiation protective effect of some of the better synthetic adjuvants was also investigated in mice. It was found that although LPS was more effective in this assay, the N-myristoyl-D-glucosamine and N-decanoyl-D-glucosamine compounds gave a definite protection, since up to 40% of the lethally irradiated (700 R) mice survived.

Adjuvants, Immunologic↗

Relation of structure to function in bacterial endotoxins. VIII. Biological activities in a polysaccharide-rich fraction.

This is the first report describing in vivo biologic activities elicited by a non-toxic, polysaccharide-rich, water soluble fraction obtained by partial acidic hydrolysis from endotoxic lipopolysaccharide. The two activities present in this preparation were a) mouse bone marrow cell colony formation stimulation (CSF) and b) protection of mice against lethal irradiation. With polysaccharide-deficient rough mutants of salmonella minnesota, the CSF-inducing activity could be restricted to the "core" region of the LPS structure. Sixty-minute hydrolysis with 1 N HCl at 100 degrees C or 0.1 M sodium metaperiodate oxidation at cold room temperature completely abolished CSF-inducing activity of the preparation, whereas it showed considerable resistance to mild alkaline hydrolysis. These findings indicate that the active component in this preparation is carbohydrate in nature. Lipid preparations from smooth LPS or from Re rough mutants are either much less active or completely inactive in the above two assays. The fully active polysaccharide rich preparation was found to be inert in seven other characteristic endotoxicity parameters.

Adjuvants, Immunologic↗

A synthetic glycolipid with B-cell mitogenic activity.

A synthetic glycolipid, N-palmitoyl-D-glucosamine, (NPG) was found to be a potent B-cell mitogen, that stimulated spleen cells from nu/nu as well as from normal mice. The proper dispersion of the water insoluble preparation is critical for the elicitation of this mitogenic effect. Limulus lysate clotting assay indicated that the NPG preparation either contains only 0.001% endotoxin contamination, or that NPG itself is 10(-5) times less active in this assay than purified endotoxic LPS. Since such low levels of endotoxin concentration are not mitogenic, it is concluded that synthetic N-palmitoyl-D-glucosamine, when properly dispersed, is itself a B-cell mitogen.

Animals↗