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Vatairea macrocarpa (Leguminosae) lectin activates cultured macrophages to release chemotactic mediators

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Abstract

The lectin from the legume Vatairea macrocarpa is a galactose/N-acetylgalactosamine binding protein that induced cellular inflammatory response mediated by resident cells. This study investigated which inflammatory mediators would be released from lectin-activated cells. The intraperitoneal injection in rats of the supernatant from cultured macrophages, but not from mast cells, stimulated with lectin induced a time- and dose-dependent release of a neutrophil chemotactic factor, termed MNCF-VML. Pharmacological modulation with dexamethasone inhibited both the lectin-induced chemotactic activity in vivo and also the lectin-induced release of MNCF-VML into the supernatant of cultured macrophages. Cyclooxygenase and lipoxygenase metabolites are apparently not involved in the action of this factor or its release, since indomethacin or MK886 were unable to affect the lectin response. The molecular weight of MNCF-VML was found to be greater than 5 kDa, which led to the investigation of which cytokine(s) could be involved by the following approaches: (a) treatment of animals with antiserum to tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-1, or IL-8 before intraperitoneal injection of lectin and (b) addition of antiserum to TNF-α, IL-1, or IL-8 to the supernatant of lectin-stimulated macrophages before intraperitoneal administration. Antiserum to TNF-α, but not IL-1 nor IL-8, inhibited the neutrophil migration induced either by lectin or MNCF-VML. Our data suggest that neutrophil migration induced by V. macrocarpa lectin occurs via the release of cytokines such as TNF-α by macrophages. Thus, this lectin may represent an important tool to better understand pathological situations where an excess of leukocytes at inflammatory sites causes tissue injury.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by grants from CNPq, FUNCAP, FINEP and CAPES. Assreuy A.M.S, Cavada B.S., Cunha F.Q., Alencar N.M.N., and Ribeiro R.A. are senior investigators of CNPq—Brazil. A. Leyva provided English language editing.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Fisiologia e Farmacologia, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Campus do Porangabuçu, Rua Coronel Nunes de Melo 1127, Fortaleza, Ceará, 60430-270, Brazil

    Nylane M. N. Alencar, Romoaldo B. de Sousa & Ronaldo A. Ribeiro

  2. Instituto Superior de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Estadual do Ceará, Campus do Itaperi, Avenida Paranjana 1700, Fortaleza, Ceará, 60740-000, Brazil

    Ana M. S. Assreuy

  3. Departamento de Bioquímica e Biologia Molecular, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Campus do Pici, Av. Mister Hulls s/n bloco 907 sala 1075, Fortaleza, Ceará, 60451-970, Brazil

    Alexandre Havt, Raquel G. Benevides, Tales R. de Moura & Benildo S. Cavada

  4. Departamento de Farmacologia, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Av Bandeirantes 3900, Monte Alegre, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, 14049-900, Brazil

    Fernando Q. Cunha

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  1. Nylane M. N. Alencar
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  2. Ana M. S. Assreuy
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  3. Alexandre Havt
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  4. Raquel G. Benevides
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  5. Tales R. de Moura
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  6. Romoaldo B. de Sousa
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  7. Ronaldo A. Ribeiro
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  8. Fernando Q. Cunha
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  9. Benildo S. Cavada
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Correspondence to Ana M. S. Assreuy.

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Alencar, N.M.N., Assreuy, A.M.S., Havt, A. et al. Vatairea macrocarpa (Leguminosae) lectin activates cultured macrophages to release chemotactic mediators. Naunyn-Schmied Arch Pharmacol 374, 275–282 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00210-006-0124-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00210-006-0124-8

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