Gal-3 plays an important pro-inflammatory role in the induction phase of acute colitis by promoting activation of NLRP3 inflammasome and production of IL-β in macrophages

Bojana Simovic Markovic, Aleksandar Nikolic, Marina Gazdic, Sanja Bojic, Ljubica Vucicevic, Milica Kosic, Slobodanka Mitrovic, Milos Milosavljevic, Gurdyal Besra, Vladimir Trajkovic, Nebojsa Arsenijevic, Miodrag L Lukic, Vladislav Volarevic

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Abstract

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Galectin-3 [Gal-3] is an endogenous lectin with a broad spectrum of immunoregulatory effects: it plays an important role in autoimmune/inflammatory and malignant diseases, but the precise role of Gal-3 in pathogenesis of ulcerative colitis is still unknown.

METHODS: We used a model of dextran sulphate sodium [DSS]-induced acute colitis. The role of Gal-3 in pathogenesis of this disease was tested by evaluating disease development in Gal-3 deficient mice and administration of Gal-3 inhibitor. Disease was monitoring by clinical, histological, histochemical, and immunophenotipic investigations. Adoptive transfer was used to detect cellular events in pathogenesis.

RESULTS: Genetic deletion or pharmacological inhibition of Gal-3 significantly attenuate DSS-induced colitis. Gal-3 deletion suppresses production of pro-inflammatory cytokines in colonic macrophages and favors their alternative activation, as well as significantly reduces activation of NLRP3 inflammasome in macrophages. Peritoneal macrophages isolated from untreated Gal-3(-/-) mice and treated in vitro with bacterial lipopolysaccharide or DSS produce lower amounts of TNF-α and IL-β when compared to WT cells. Genetic deletion of Gal-3 did not directly affect total neutrophils, inflammatory dendritic cells [DCs], and NKT cells. However, the total number of CD11c+CD80+ DCs which produce pro-inflammatory cytokines, as well as TNF-α and IL-β producing CD45+CD11c-Ly6G+ neutrophils were significantly lower in colons of Gal-3(-/-) DSS-treated mice. Adoptive transfer of WT macrophages significantly enhanced the severity of disease in Gal-3(-/-) mice.

CONCLUSIONS: Gal-3 expression promotes acute DSS-induced colitis and plays an important pro-inflammatory role in the induction phase of colitis by promoting the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome and production of IL-β in macrophages.

Original languageEnglish
JournalJournal of Crohn's & Colitis
Early online date19 Jan 2016
DOIs
Publication statusE-pub ahead of print - 19 Jan 2016

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