RUDN University doctors have studied how anti-inflammatory immune cells can help mitigate an excessive immune response. The authors discovered both positive and negative aspects of the new approach, but overall they proved its promise. The results were published in Heliyon.
Newswise — The body's immune response depends on the balance of pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory mechanisms. Normally, these mechanisms operate simultaneously. However, the immune reaction can “choke” - pro-inflammatory mechanisms become too active and begin to destroy tissue. This occurs, for example, in cytokine storm or acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). RUDN University doctors have found that it is possible to partially return the immune response to balance in ARDS if ready-made anti-inflammatory macrophages are artificially added to the tissues. In the future, this will help develop a new approach to treatment - anti-inflammatory cell therapy.
“Macrophage-based anti-inflammatory therapy is a promising approach. Systemic administration of the necessary macrophages should reduce the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, reduce the risks of a “cytokine storm” and the severe complications associated with it,” Dzhuliia Dzhalilova, a researcher at the RUDN University Research Institute of Molecular and Cellular Medicine said.
The study focused on the influence of macrophages. Interest in them is explained by the fact that they can go into the so-called activated state. Depending on the conditions of activation, macrophages become pro-inflammatory or anti-inflammatory. The study was conducted on 15 adult mice with ARDS and five healthy mice that served as a control group. 15 mice were divided into three equal groups. One of them was injected with non-activated macrophages of the RAW 264.7 line. The second was pre-activated anti-inflammatory macrophages; the third group had no additional interventions.
Activated macrophages influenced the development of the immune response. They provoked lymphocytes, the main cells of the immune system, to move into the affected tissues. In addition, mice from the group with activated macrophages had more Arg1, Vegfa, Tgfb, and Cd38 markers. This indicates activation of the anti-inflammatory response. However, activated macrophages did not affect the number of other important immune cells - neutrophils. This suggests that pre-activated macrophages cannot yet be considered a stable method for treating inflammation. However, the positive effects indicate the potential of this concept.
“Clinical applications of activated macrophages are still just beginning to be developed as a concept. Our results show the promise of this direction. Potentially, macrophages obtained from a patient's blood monocytes can be used to treat diseases of various origins,” Dzhuliia Dzhalilova, a researcher at the RUDN University Research Institute of Molecular and Cellular Medicine said.
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