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Biomedical subjects

Agneta Askendal

Publications and source records attributed to Agneta Askendal.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

Blood plasma contact activation on silicon, titanium and aluminium.

In the present work, blood plasma protein deposition to spontaneously air oxidized silicon, titanium and aluminium was re-investigated in vitro. Immunological- and null ellipsometry methods were used to detect and quantitate adsorbed proteins, RIA methods to study the retention of preadsorbed 125I-HSA upon exposure to buffer or blood plasma, and kallikrein-specific colorimetric substrate S-2302 to follow the surface generation of kallikrein. The results show that the contact activation of coagulation and complement systems are connected on Si and Ti, but not on Al, via coagulation factor XII. Preadsorbed 125I-HSA was most readily displaced on silicon, followed by titanium and aluminium. The surfaces displayed different antibody binding patterns after short and long-time exposures to plasma. Titanium and silicon bound anti-HMWK after 1 min in plasma, but aluminium did not. When the plasma incubation time was prolonged up to 2h the anti-HMWK binding disappeared totally on titanium and decreased on silicon. During the same time period, anti-C3c binding increased to the three types of surfaces. Also, the anti-C3c binding onto Si and Ti, but not Al, disappeared after incubation in Factor XII deficient plasma or when a specific coagulation factor XII (Factor XII) inhibitor, corn trypsin inhibitor (CTI) was added to normal plasma. The surface contacted plasmas cleaved the kallikrein-specific reagent S-2302 both after single surface contact, and after reincubation of surfaces in fresh plasma. The results show that C3b and Factor XIIa and their degradation products were retained at the surfaces.

Adsorption↗

Solid-phase classical complement activation by C-reactive protein (CRP) is inhibited by fluid-phase CRP-C1q interaction.

C-reactive protein (CRP) interacts with phosphorylcholine (PC), Fcgamma receptors, complement factor C1q and cell nuclear constituents, yet its biological roles are insufficiently understood. The aim was to characterize CRP-induced complement activation by ellipsometry. PC conjugated with keyhole limpet hemocyanin (PC-KLH) was immobilized to cross-linked fibrinogen. A low-CRP serum with different amounts of added CRP was exposed to the PC-surfaces. The total serum protein deposition was quantified and deposition of IgG, C1q, C3c, C4, factor H, and CRP detected with polyclonal antibodies. The binding of serum CRP to PC-KLH dose-dependently triggered activation of the classical pathway. Unexpectedly, the activation was efficiently down-regulated at CRP levels > 150 mg/L. Using radial immunodiffusion, CRP-C1q interaction was observed in serum samples with high CRP concentrations. We propose that the underlying mechanism depends on fluid-phase interaction between C1q and CRP. This might constitute another level of complement regulation, which has implications for systemic lupus erythematosus where CRP is often low despite flare-ups.

C-Reactive Protein↗

Interactions between surface-bound actin and complement, platelets, and neutrophils.

Actin exists as globular (G) monomers or polymeric filaments (F) in the cytoplasm of eukaryotic cells, mediating cell morphologic changes and motility. Large amounts of this protein may be released out to the extracellular compartment during tissue injury, but little is known about its role in biomaterial-related inflammation. We immobilized actin to methylated glass, methylated and aminated silicon, and gold model surfaces and studied the subsequent blood serum deposition and complement activation, generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and adhesion and aggregation of neutrophils and platelets. Null ellipsometry showed that approximately one monolayer of G-actin can be immobilized onto the model surfaces and that actin in buffer polymerized on top of this by the addition of K(+) and Mg(2+) ions to form a thicker layer of firmly bound F-actin. After serum incubation, F-actin bound low amounts of anti-complement factor 1q (anti-C1q). Cell responses upon contact with actin-coated surfaces were analyzed by luminol-amplified chemiluminescence, lumi-aggregometry, and fluorescence microscopy. It was shown that surface-triggered aggregation, spreading, and generation of ROS are down-regulated and comparable to the response by adsorbed albumin. However, F-actin on gold surfaces recruited platelets in a C1q-dependent manner. We conclude that in vitro adsorbed actin is a weak complement, platelet, and neutrophil activator, but that F-actin associates with both C1q and platelets.

Actins↗

The determination of thickness and surface mass density of mesothick immunoprecipitate layers by null ellipsometry and protein 125iodine labeling.

The aim of the present study was to ellipsometrically determine the thickness and surface mass density in air for up to 110-nm-thick organic layers made of alternatingly deposited layers of HSA and polyclonal anti-HSA on hydrophobic silicon. The ellipsometrically determined thickness was compared to that obtained by AFM and the deposited surface mass density calibrated with (125)I-labeled proteins. The results indicate a good agreement in protein layer thickness between AFM and ellipsometry when the protein film refractive index N(film)=1.5-0i, although then the calculated surface mass density from the ellipsometry data became grossly overestimated by the Cuypers one-component formula. A good agreement in the surface mass density was obtained when the M/A ratio in this formula was lowered from 4.14 to 2.35. This approach indicates a convenient means of determining the refractive indices and surface mass densities of mesothick organic layers proteins on solid supports.

Humans↗

On the binding of complement to solid artificial surfaces in vitro.

Since the realization of a complement activation capacity by artificial surfaces upon contact with blood, a common belief has evolved that charged nucleophilic surface groups such as amine (-NH2) and hydroxyl (-OH) react with and eventually bind to the internal thioester in complement factor 3 (C3). A covalent amide or ester linkage is thereby supposed to form between C3b and the surface itself. In this report, we present complement surface binding data by null-ellipsometry for two nucleophilic surfaces (-NH2 and -OH), for surfaces with immunoglobulin G (IgG) covalently bound, and for IgG spontaneously pre-adsorbed to hydrophobic silicon. The results reveal that the plasma proteins that were deposited during complement activation became eluted by sodium dodecyl sulfate. Hence the direct covalent binding between C3 and solid nucleophilic surfaces seems to be only of moderate importance, at least during shorter serum incubations. This strongly suggests that the prevalent covalent linkage model between solid artificial surfaces and C3b is not accurate. Instead we suggest a more pronounced role for C3 associations to other adsorbed proteins and or electrostatic and hydrophobic protein-surface interactions.

Adsorption↗