Method for co-purification of equine neutrophil elastase and myeloperoxidase from a limited blood volume

What Is the Evolutionary Fingerprint in Neutrophil Granulocytes?

Over the years of evolution, thousands of different animal species have evolved. All these species require an immune system to defend themselves against invading pathogens. Nevertheless, the immune systems of different species are obviously counteracting against the same pathogen with different efficiency. Therefore, the question arises if the process that was leading to the clades of vertebrates in the animal kingdom-namely mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, and fish-was also leading to different functions of immune cells. One cell type of the innate immune system that is transmigrating as first line of defense in infected tissue and counteracts against pathogens is the neutrophil granulocyte. During the host-pathogen interaction they can undergo phagocytosis, apoptosis, degranulation, and form neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs). In this review, we summarize a wide spectrum of information about neutrophils in humans and animals, with a focus on vertebrates. Special attention is kept on the development, morphology, composition, and functions of these cells, but also on dysfunctions and options for cell culture or storage.

Polyphenol content and modulatory activities of some tropical dietary plant extracts on the oxidant activities of neutrophils and myeloperoxidase

Young leaves of Manihot esculenta Crantz (Euphorbiaceae), Abelmoschus esculentus (Malvaceae), Hibiscus acetosella (Malvaceae) and Pteridium aquilinum (Dennstaedtiaceae) are currently consumed as green vegetables by peoples in sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, Asia and their migrants living in Western Europe. Sub-Saharan peoples use Manihot, Abelmoschus and Hibiscus also in the folk medicine to alleviate fever and pain, in the treatment of conjunctivitis, rheumatism, hemorrhoid, abscesses, ... The present study investigates the effects of aqueous extracts of those plants on the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the release of myeloperoxidase (MPO) by equine neutrophils activated with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA). The ROS production was measured by lucigenin-enhanced chemiluminescence (CL), and the release of total MPO by an ELISA method. The study also investigates the effect of the extracts on the activity of MPO by studying its nitration activity on tyrosine and by using a new technique called SIEFED (Specific Immunological Extraction Followed by Enzymatic Detection) that allows studying the direct interaction of compounds with the enzyme. In all experiments, the aqueous extracts of the plants developed concentration-dependent inhibitory effects. A moderate heat treatment did not significantly modify the inhibitory capacity of the extracts in comparison to not heated ones. Total polyphenol and flavonoid contents were determined with an HPLC-UV/DAD analysis and a spectroscopic method using Folin-Ciocalteu reagent. Some polyphenols with well-known antioxidant activities (caffeic acid, chlorogenic acid, hyperoside, rosmarinic acid and rutin) were found in the extracts and may partly explain the inhibitory activities observed. The role of those dietary and medicinal plants in the treatment of ROS-dependent inflammatory diseases could have new considerations for health.

Relationship between exercise-induced systemic inflammatory like reaction and racing performance in endurance horses

Endurance race induces a rise of serum creatine kinase (CK) activity and a systemic inflammatory like response characterised by an increase of neutrophil counts, plasma and muscle myeloperoxidase (MPO) and elastase (ELT) concentrations in horses. Horses performing the same standardised exercise test do not respond with the same magnitude of inflammatory reaction. The aim of the present study was to measure the total neutrophil count, the ratio neutrophil:lymphocyte, the MPO and ELT plasma concentrations and concomitant increases of serum CK activities in competing endurance horse and to relate these results to their race performance. Twenty one horses participating in a 120 km 4 star endurance race recruited on a voluntary basis finished the race with a mean speed ranging from 13.1 to 19.8 km/h. Blood was taken the day before the race and two hours after the race. Mean values of neutrophil counts, ratio neutrophil:lymphocyte, plasma MPO and ELT concentrations and serum CK activities after the race were significantly higher than the pre-race values. There was no correlation between neutrophil counts, MPO, ELT or CK and the mean speed of the horses during the race except for the ratio neutrophil:lymphocyte where a significant negative correlation was observed. These results showed that systemic responses induced by strenuous exercise such as an endurance race is not clearly related to performance but also to horse-related factors, such as intrinsic capacity or training.