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Clinical and Diagnostic Laboratory Immunology, July 2003, p. 664-669, Vol. 10, No. 4
1071-412X/03/$08.00+0 DOI: 10.1128/CDLI.10.4.664-669.2003
Copyright © 2003, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.
Departments of Surgery,1 Internal Medicine,2 Pathology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, Dallas, Texas3
Received 9 May 2002/ Returned for modification 23 January 2003/ Accepted 12 March 2003
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Our model suggests that the host response to infection via the bile duct is fundamentally different from the response to infection via the portal vein. We will show that one manifestation of this difference is the pattern of cytokines elicited by the infection. These cytokines affect the outcome in models of infection and injury and are supported by the literature. For example, levels of interleukin 6 (IL-6) in serum correlate with survival in critically ill patients; manipulation of IL-10 alters outcome in many models of injury and infection (1, 3, 5, 18, 24-26, 28). Furthermore, our data suggest that the hepatic response to biliary obstruction determines the host defense against infection. Such obstruction is a prerequisite for clinical cholangitis. It also suggests that the obstruction does more than allow the retrograde movement of bacteria into the liver but elicits a hepatic cytokine response that results in a maladaptive response to bacterial infection. (This research was presented at the Surgical Infection Society International Meeting in Spain, April 2002.)
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Cholangitis model. A midline laparotomy was performed under sterile conditions. Bile duct ligation (BDL) was performed by dissecting the common bile duct below the entrance of the cystic duct. Care was taken to stay above the level of the entrance of the pancreatic duct to avoid ligation of the pancreatic duct and pancreatitis. Common bile duct was ligated at this level by using 6-0 silk suture. The gallbladder was grasped, and P10 tubing was inserted into the gallbladder and was secured by using 6-0 silk tie. Slow injection of 0.25 ml of Escherichia coli, lipopolysaccharide (LPS), or saline was then performed. The gallbladder was ligated upon withdrawal of the P10 tubing, to prevent spilling. Animals were closed in two layers by using 6-0 silk suture.
Portal vein injection. A midline laparotomy was performed by using sterile techniques. The portal vein was isolated by reflecting intestinal contents to the left of the animal. Freehand injection of E. coli, LPS, or saline was performed by using a 0.25-ml volume and 30-gauge needle. Hemostasis was achieved by direct compression.
Bacteria and LPS. E. coli (ATCC 25922, known to be pathogenic in rodents) was grown in broth overnight. Turbidity was measured, and dilutions were prepared from previously delineated growth curves. To ensure a correct count of bacterial CFU and no contamination, E. coli was plated, prior to injection, at a given dose. LPS (O111:B4; Sigma Chemical) was diluted to an appropriate concentration, and injections were administered in a 0.25-ml volume.
Survival studies. Animals were treated with E. coli or LPS that was injected into the bile duct or portal vein as outlined above. BDL was performed on day -1, and portal vein injection was performed on day 0 upon some animals. Animals were monitored for survival.
Bacterial growth in infected livers. In order to investigate initial delivery of E. coli via the bile duct and portal vein, animals were injected with a known number of CFU of E. coli into the bile duct or portal vein. The left lobe of the liver was harvested 1 h after injection. Liver was homogenized and was plated on soy agar (Remel, Lenexa, Kans.), and the number of CFU recovered was counted after overnight incubation. The total number of CFU recovered from each liver was calculated. Similarly, the numbers of CFU that had been injected into the bile duct or portal vein and were recovered from livers of animals were determined at 24 h postinjection.
Examination of cytokine profiles by RPA and ELISA. Liver tissue was harvested 24 h after infection with 5 x 104 CFU. E. coli in the bile duct or portal vein. RNA was prepared by using the standard guanidinium isothiocyanate extraction kit technique (Rneasy-Qiagen). RNase protection assay (RPA) with mck2b or mck3 probe (Pharmingen) was performed according to the manufacturer's instructions. Briefly, probes were manufactured and hybridized to cellular RNA. Annealed probe/RNA complexes were protected to subsequent digestion. Samples were then run on a polyacrylamide gel, and protected bands were identified. The gels were analyzed by using a Molecular Dynamics PhosphorImager and ImageQuant software. Densitometry was calculated as a ratio of the cytokine mRNA to a housekeeping mRNA (L32). IL-10 protein was measured in the serum of animals 24 h after injection of E. coli into the bile duct or portal vein with the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) (endogen).
Histology. Liver tissue from animals receiving 5 x 104 CFU of E. coli in the bile duct or portal vein was harvested 24 h after injection, placed in formalin, and subjected to standard hematoxylin and eosin staining. Slides were examined with the assistance of an experienced hepatopathologist.
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FIG. 1. Survival of C57BL/6 mice that received injections of E. coli in the bile duct (BD) or portal vein (PV): C57BL/6 male mice received injections of 50, 500 or 5,000 CFU of E. coli into the obstructed bile duct (B-50, B-500, and B-5000) or portal vein (n = 7/group). Survival was monitored and is shown. Bile duct-injected animals had significantly higher mortality than did portal vein-injected animals (P < 0.001, by log rank). The three groups of mice receiving 50, 500, and 5,000 CFU of E. coli via the portal venous route (P50/500/5000) are shown as a single line because there was 100% survival in all three of these groups.
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FIG. 2. Survival of C57BL/6 mice that received injections of LPS into the bile duct or portal vein: C57BL/6 male mice were injected with 0.5 mg per 100 g per mouse (A) or 1.0 mg per 100 g (B) into the bile duct (solid line) or portal vein (dashed line). The survival rate of bile duct-injected animals was significantly less than that for portal vein-injected animals (P = 0.004 and 0.0009 by log rank for panels A and B, respectively).
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FIG. 3. Bacterial growth in livers of animals that received injections of E. coli into the bile duct or portal vein: C57BL/6 mice received injections of E. coli into the bile duct (BD) or portal vein (PV) at the doses indicated. Liver was harvested, and the numbers of CFU recovered were calculated at 1 h (A and B) or 24 h after injection (C). Initial numbers of CFU recovered were not significantly different for the two routes of delivery (P > 0.05). However, by 24 h after injection, bile duct-injected animals experienced recovery of significantly increased numbers of bacteria (P < 0.05, by t test).
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FIG. 4. Survival of C57BL/6 mice that underwent injections of E. coli into the bile duct or portal vein (PV) after BDL. C57BL/6 mice were subjected to BDL followed by portal vein injection (D-1 BDL/DOPV) or sham operation followed by portal vein injection (sham). The survival rate was significantly greater in animals undergoing BDL prior to portal vein injection (P < 0.05, by log rank).
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-PV = 0.1074 ± 0.0079; IL-1
-BD = 0.1032 ± 0.0363; IL-1ß-PV = 0.1011 ± 0.0255; IL-1ß-BD = 0.2916 ± 0.1443; IL-1RA-PV = 0.3151 ± 0.0312; and IL-1RA-BD = 3.0484 ± 1.1747. IL-6 was detected only in the bile duct-injected animals. IL-18 was detected only in the portal vein-injected animals. IL-12 mRNA was not detected in bile duct- or portal vein-injected animals. Similarly, tumor necrosis factor alpha, LT-ß, and other proinflammatory cytokine mRNA were not detected by using other probe sets (mck3; Pharmingen) (data not shown.) Sham-operated liver tissue did not show significant expression of any cytokines examined (data not shown).
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FIG. 5. Cytokine response of C57BL/6 mice injected with E. coli into the bile duct (BD) or portal vein (PV). Liver tissue was subjected to RPA 24 h after injection of E. coli into the bile duct or portal vein. Increased expression of IL-10, IL-1RA, and IL-6 mRNA was noted in bile duct-injected animals compared to that in portal vein-injected animals. Each lane shows RNA taken from a different infected liver. GAPDH, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase.
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Liver histology in animals that received bile duct or portal vein E. coli. Hematoxylin and eosin staining of livers from animals receiving E. coli via the bile duct or portal vein is shown in Fig. 6. This demonstrates cholangitis with portal neutrophil infiltration 24 h after bile duct injection (Fig. 6A) compared to that found after portal vein injection (Fig. 6B). Forty-eight hours after bile duct injection, abscesses were seen in the liver (Fig. 6C). Normal liver tissue is shown in Fig. 6D.
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FIG. 6. Histology of C57BL/6 mice that underwent injections of E. coli into the bile duct or portal vein. Hematoxylin and eosin staining of livers from animals injected with E. coli into the bile duct (A) or portal vein (B) 24 h prior. Figure 6C shows livers from bile duct-injected animals 48 h after injection. Figure 6D shows a normal liver for comparison.
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Further investigation is necessary to explain the increased mortality after biliary infection. One explanation is that the associated acute biliary obstruction itself elicits a cytokine response that prevents an effective host defense. It has been reported (M. L. Kielar, D. R. Jeyarajah, D. J. Reed, B. J. Wright, and C. Y. Yu, abstr. J. Am. Soc. Nephrol. 11:A3121, 2000) that acute biliary obstruction, in the absence of E. coli injections, increases the mRNA abundance for IL-10 and IL-1RA.
These cytokines are known to affect the outcome in models of injury and infection. The anti-inflammatory effects of IL-10 have been found to be detrimental after injection of live bacteria (6, 8, 17, 26, 27). Manipulation of IL-10 in models of injury and infection has resulted in alterations of the outcome (Y. Kohda, H. Chiao, P. McLeory, L. Craig, and R. A. Star, abstr., J. Am. Soc. Nephrol. 9:580A, 1999; 20, 24, 25). IL-6 levels are predictive of outcome in severely injured patients (18). Similarly, IL-1RA has been found to decrease the inflammatory response to viral and autoimmune injury (13, 21).
Consistent with this explanation is the marked difference between the cytokine responses to biliary infection and to portal venous infection shown in Fig. 5. Animals infected by the biliary route produced more IL-10 and IL-1RA mRNA than did portal vein-injected animals. The production of a more immunomodulatory cytokine profile in response to biliary infection may be maladaptive to clearance of bacteria and hence survival.
Our model differs from other models of bile duct obstruction in the literature (2, 9, 10, 19, 22, 23). These models have focused on late time points (1 to 3 weeks) after bile duct obstruction. It is likely that chronic liver injury has developed by this time. Our model focuses on the hepatic response to infection in the absence of established liver disease, a scenario more common in clinical cholangitis.
Our future goals are to further characterize the hepatic response to cholangitis and portal venous infection. Initial response to infection involves the innate immune system (15). Hepatic response to injury and cold ischemia involves recruitment of nonclassical T and NK cells (12, 14, 16, 29). We will attempt to characterize the cellular response to hepatic infection via the bile duct and portal vein. Furthermore, by using knockout technology, we plan to study the impact of various cytokines, specifically IL-10, on hepatic infection.
We thank Sarah Peeples for manuscript preparation.
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