An amyloidogenic hexapeptide derived from amylin attenuates inflammation and acute lung injury in murine sepsis

PLoS One. 2018 Jul 10;13(7):e0199206. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0199206. eCollection 2018.

Abstract

Although the accumulation of amyloidogenic proteins in neuroinflammatory conditions is generally considered pathologic, in a murine model of multiple sclerosis, amyloid-forming fibrils, comprised of hexapeptides, are anti-inflammatory. Whether these molecules modulate systemic inflammatory conditions remains unknown. We hypothesized that an amylin hexapeptide that forms fibrils can attenuate the systemic inflammatory response in a murine model of sepsis. To test this hypothesis, mice were pre-treated with either vehicle or amylin hexapeptide (20 μg) at 12 hours and 6 hours prior to intraperitoneal (i.p.) lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 20 mg/kg) administration. Illness severity and survival were monitored every 6 hours for 3 days. Levels of pro- (IL-6, TNF-α, IFN-γ) and anti-inflammatory (IL-10) cytokines were measured via ELISA at 1, 3, 6, 12, and 24 hours after LPS (i.p.). As a metric of lung injury, pulmonary artery endothelial cell (PAEC) barrier function was tested 24 hours after LPS administration by comparing lung wet-to-dry ratios, Evan's blue dye (EBD) extravasation, lung histology and caspase-3 activity. Compared to controls, pretreatment with amylin hexapeptide significantly reduced mortality (p<0.05 at 72 h), illness severity (p<0.05), and pro-inflammatory cytokine levels, while IL-10 levels were elevated (p<0.05). Amylin pretreatment attenuated LPS-induced lung injury, as demonstrated by decreased lung water and caspase-3 activity (p<0.05, versus PBS). Hence, in a murine model of systemic inflammation, pretreatment with amylin hexapeptide reduced mortality, disease severity, and preserved lung barrier function. Amylin hexapeptide may represent a novel therapeutic tool to mitigate sepsis severity and lung injury.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Acute Lung Injury / chemically induced
  • Acute Lung Injury / drug therapy*
  • Acute Lung Injury / immunology
  • Acute Lung Injury / mortality
  • Amyloidogenic Proteins / chemical synthesis
  • Amyloidogenic Proteins / pharmacology*
  • Animals
  • Caspase 3 / genetics
  • Caspase 3 / immunology
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Endothelial Cells / drug effects
  • Endothelial Cells / immunology
  • Endothelial Cells / pathology
  • Female
  • Gene Expression Regulation
  • Inflammation
  • Interferon-gamma / genetics
  • Interferon-gamma / immunology
  • Interleukin-10 / genetics
  • Interleukin-10 / immunology
  • Interleukin-6 / genetics
  • Interleukin-6 / immunology
  • Islet Amyloid Polypeptide / chemistry*
  • Lipopolysaccharides / administration & dosage
  • Lung / drug effects*
  • Lung / immunology
  • Lung / pathology
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Oligopeptides / chemical synthesis
  • Oligopeptides / pharmacology*
  • Pulmonary Artery / drug effects
  • Pulmonary Artery / immunology
  • Pulmonary Artery / pathology
  • Sepsis / chemically induced
  • Sepsis / drug therapy*
  • Sepsis / immunology
  • Sepsis / mortality
  • Survival Analysis
  • Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / genetics
  • Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / immunology

Substances

  • Amyloidogenic Proteins
  • IL10 protein, mouse
  • Interleukin-6
  • Islet Amyloid Polypeptide
  • Lipopolysaccharides
  • Oligopeptides
  • Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha
  • interleukin-6, mouse
  • Interleukin-10
  • Interferon-gamma
  • Casp3 protein, mouse
  • Caspase 3

Grants and funding

The work in this manuscript was supported by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society Grant (NMSS SPO 112677) to Lawrence Steinman. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.