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Wiese T, Dennstädt F, Hollmann C, Stonawski S, Wurst C, Fink J, Gorte E, Mandasari P, Domschke K, Hommers L, Vanhove B, Schumacher F, Kleuser B, Seibel J, Rohr J, Buttmann M, Menke A, Schneider-Schaulies J, Beyersdorf N. Inhibition of acid sphingomyelinase increases regulatory T cells in humans. Brain Commun 2021; 3:fcab020. [PMID: 33898989 PMCID: PMC8054263 DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcab020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2020] [Revised: 11/11/2020] [Accepted: 12/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Genetic deficiency for acid sphingomyelinase or its pharmacological inhibition has been shown to increase Foxp3+ regulatory T-cell frequencies among CD4+ T cells in mice. We now investigated whether pharmacological targeting of the acid sphingomyelinase, which catalyzes the cleavage of sphingomyelin to ceramide and phosphorylcholine, also allows to manipulate relative CD4+ Foxp3+ regulatory T-cell frequencies in humans. Pharmacological acid sphingomyelinase inhibition with antidepressants like sertraline, but not those without an inhibitory effect on acid sphingomyelinase activity like citalopram, increased the frequency of Foxp3+ regulatory T cell among human CD4+ T cells in vitro. In an observational prospective clinical study with patients suffering from major depression, we observed that acid sphingomyelinase-inhibiting antidepressants induced a stronger relative increase in the frequency of CD4+ Foxp3+ regulatory T cells in peripheral blood than acid sphingomyelinase-non- or weakly inhibiting antidepressants. This was particularly true for CD45RA− CD25high effector CD4+ Foxp3+ regulatory T cells. Mechanistically, our data indicate that the positive effect of acid sphingomyelinase inhibition on CD4+ Foxp3+ regulatory T cells required CD28 co-stimulation, suggesting that enhanced CD28 co-stimulation was the driver of the observed increase in the frequency of Foxp3+ regulatory T cells among human CD4+ T cells. In summary, the widely induced pharmacological inhibition of acid sphingomyelinase activity in patients leads to an increase in Foxp3+ regulatory T-cell frequencies among CD4+ T cells in humans both in vivo and in vitro.
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Affiliation(s)
- Teresa Wiese
- Institute for Virology and Immunobiology, University of Würzburg, Würzburg 97078, Germany
| | - Fabio Dennstädt
- Institute for Virology and Immunobiology, University of Würzburg, Würzburg 97078, Germany
| | - Claudia Hollmann
- Institute for Virology and Immunobiology, University of Würzburg, Würzburg 97078, Germany
| | - Saskia Stonawski
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Center of Mental Health, University Hospital of Würzburg, Würzburg 97080, Germany
| | - Catherina Wurst
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Center of Mental Health, University Hospital of Würzburg, Würzburg 97080, Germany
| | - Julian Fink
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, University of Würzburg, Würzburg 97074, Germany
| | - Erika Gorte
- Institute for Virology and Immunobiology, University of Würzburg, Würzburg 97078, Germany
| | - Putri Mandasari
- Institute for Virology and Immunobiology, University of Würzburg, Würzburg 97078, Germany
| | - Katharina Domschke
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Center-University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg 79104, Germany
| | - Leif Hommers
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Center of Mental Health, University Hospital of Würzburg, Würzburg 97080, Germany.,Comprehensive Heart Failure Center, University Hospital of Würzburg, Würzburg 97080, Germany.,Interdisciplinary Center for Clinical Research, University of Würzburg, Würzburg 97080, Germany
| | - Bernard Vanhove
- Centre de Recherche en Transplantation et Immunologie UMR 1064, INSERM, Université de Nantes, Nantes, France.,Institut de Transplantation Urologie Néphrologie (ITUN), CHU Nantes, Nantes, France.,OSE Immunotherapeutics S.A., Nantes, France
| | - Fabian Schumacher
- Institute of Nutritional Science, University of Potsdam, Nuthetal D-14558, Germany
| | - Burkhard Kleuser
- Institute of Nutritional Science, University of Potsdam, Nuthetal D-14558, Germany
| | - Jürgen Seibel
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, University of Würzburg, Würzburg 97074, Germany
| | - Jan Rohr
- Center for Chronic Immunodeficiency (CCI), Medical Center-University of Freiburg, Freiburg 79106, Germany
| | - Mathias Buttmann
- Department of Neurology, Caritas Hospital, Bad Mergentheim 97980, Germany.,Department of Neurology, University Hospital Würzburg, Würzburg 97080, Germany
| | - Andreas Menke
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Center of Mental Health, University Hospital of Würzburg, Würzburg 97080, Germany.,Comprehensive Heart Failure Center, University Hospital of Würzburg, Würzburg 97080, Germany.,Interdisciplinary Center for Clinical Research, University of Würzburg, Würzburg 97080, Germany.,Medical Park Chiemseeblick, Bernau-Felden 83233, Germany
| | | | - Niklas Beyersdorf
- Institute for Virology and Immunobiology, University of Würzburg, Würzburg 97078, Germany
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