Search

Objective: This study was designed to evaluate therapeutic effects of bindarit, an indazolic derivative able to inhibit monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) production, in adjuvant induced arthritis in rats., Materials and Methods: Arthritis was induced by Freund's complete adjuvant injection. Bindarit was given as a 0.5% medicated diet starting on day 11 after adjuvant injection. The course of arthritis was monitored by sequential paw volume measurement and by radiologic and histologic evaluations. Human osteoblast cell line Saos-2 stimulated with Interleukin-1 (IL-1) was used to assess in vitro bindarit effect on MCP-1 release. In addition, in vivo effects of bindarit on cytokine production were studied in mice injected with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Immune function studies were performed in mice by evaluating ex vivo antibody response to ovalbumin and splenocytes proliferation to Concanavalin A (Con A)., Results: In adjuvant-induced arthritis in rats, bindarit possessed therapeutic activity resulting in a significant inhibition of paw inflammation. Evidence for a disease-modifying activity was also indicated by amelioration of radiologic alterations and by histological evaluation of joints. Additional evidence for beneficial effects in osseous inflammation was provided by an in vitro assay in which bindarit inhibited the release of MCP-1 from IL-1 stimulated osteoblast cells. Moreover, in a murine model of LPS-induced cytokine production bindarit reduced MCP-1 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha increase without affecting IL-1 and IL-6 levels. Finally, the drug, given as a 0.5% medicated diet for 14 days, did not affect either anti-ovalbumin serum antibody production or splenocytes proliferative response in mice., Conclusions: Results obtained indicate that bindarit beneficial effects in experimental arthritis are correlated to MCP-1 and TNF-alpha inhibition and suggest that the control of cytokines and chemokines production can have considerable relevance as regards strategies for the treatment of chronic inflammatory diseases.

The beneficial effects of statins on the reduction of cardiovascular events has been partly attributed to their anti-inflammatory properties. In the complex of the different pathogenetic events leading to atherosclerosis, recent data suggest a central role of monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1), because mice knock-out for MCP-1 or its receptor CC-chemokine receptor 2 were considerably resistant to plaque formation. In this study we investigated the effect of different statins on in vitro and in vivo production of MCP-1. Lovastatin and simvastatin caused a dose-dependent inhibition of MCP-1 production in peripheral blood mononuclear cells exposed to lipopolysaccharide or inactivated Streptococcus hemoliticus and in human endothelial cells exposed to interleukin-1beta. The addition of mevalonate overrode the inhibitory effect of statins indicating that mevalonate-derived products are important for chemokine production. The in vivo anti-inflammatory effect of statins was investigated using the mouse air-pouch model of local inflammation. Lovastatin and pravastatin were orally administered to mice according to a treatment schedule that significantly inhibited the hepatic 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase activity without affecting total blood cholesterol. At the dose of 10 mg/kg, lovastatin and pravastatin reduced by approximately 50% the lipopolysaccharide-induced leukocytes recruitment and the exudate MCP-1 production. In conclusion, statins, by inhibiting mevalonate-derived products, reduced both in vitro and in vivo the production of chemokines involved in leukocyte migration, and this effect is unrelated to their cholesterol-lowering action.

The production and action of primary proinflammatory cytokines are strictly controlled by a series of circuits to avoid damage that they can cause if produced in excess. Interleukin-10 and interleukin-1 receptor antagonist contribute to the control of the magnitude of the inflammatory responses in vivo. Benzydamine, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug that has been shown to have suppressive activity for the proinflammatory cytokines, tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin-1beta, was investigated for its effects on interleukin-10 and interleukin-1ra production. The drug did not modify the production of interleukin-10 and interleukin-1ra by peripheral blood mononuclear cells stimulated with lipopolysaccharide, under conditions where tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin-1beta were decreased. The antiinflammatory capacity of benzydamine might thus result from its ability to reduce the production of proinflammatory cytokines, without affecting antiinflammatory factors.

Interleukin (IL) 6, an autocrine growth factor for mesangial cells, and chemokines, which are released from activated mesangial cells and induce leukocyte infiltration, play a critical role in the progression of immune system mediated renal diseases. Since the reciprocal relationship between IL-6 and chemokines in renal inflammation has been barely investigated, we have analyzed whether IL-6 (500 ng/ml), alone or in combination with the soluble form of its receptor (sIL-6R, 200 ng/ml), can induce normal human mesangial cells (NHMC) to release alpha and/or beta chemokines: MCP-1 (monocyte chemoattractant protein 1), IL-8, Rantes (regulated on activation, normal T cell expressed and secreted), and MIP-1alpha (macrophage inflammatory protein 1alpha). Whereas IL-6 or sIL-6R alone were ineffective in inducing significant chemokine release from NHMC, the simultaneous treatment with IL-6 and sIL-6R showed a significant interaction, leading to a strong synergic effect on MCP-1 synthesis and release without exerting any relevant activity on IL-8, Rantes, or MIP-1alpha. Consistently with the unresponsiveness to IL-6, mRNA and protein expression analysis of the two subunits which form the functional IL-6 receptor showed that NHMC express only the gp130 signal-transducing chain and not the subunit-specific IL-6R (gp80). These findings support an unexpected role of the IL-6 system in kidney inflammatory reactions through the selective regulation of monocyte recruitment., (Copyright 2000 S. Karger AG, Basel)

Blocking chemokine production or action is a major target for pharmacological intervention in different human diseases. Bindarit (2-methyl-2-[[1-(phenylmethyl)-1H-indazol-3yl]methoxy]propan oic acid) dose-dependently inhibited MCP-1 and TNF-alpha production induced in vitro in monocytes by LPS and Candida albicans. It did not affect the production of the cytokines IL-1, IL-6, or the chemokines IL-8, MIP-1alpha and RANTES. In the air pouch model in mice, oral treatment reduced monocyte recruitment and local MCP-1 production, induced by carrageenan or IL-1 injection. In NZB/W mice, a model of lupus nephritis, oral treatment prolonged survival and delayed the onset of proteinuria. The results presented here show that bindarit is a preferential inhibitor of the production of MCP-1 in vitro and in vivo and suggest that its beneficial effects in models of joint and kidney inflammation are related to its anti-MCP-1 action. It is therefore possible to selectively and differentially regulate chemokines by targeting their production with small synthetic molecules.

Benzydamine is a non-steroidal antiinflammatory drug, devoid of activity on arachidonic acid metabolism, which is extensively used as a topical drug in inflammatory conditions, particularly for the treatment of bacterial vaginosis and Candida albicans-sustained vaginitis. In the present study the effects of benzydamine on the production of several inflammatory cytokines were examined in cultures of Candida albicans-stimulated human mononuclear cells. Benzydamine (6.25-50 microM) inhibited Candida-induced tumor necrosis factor-alpha and, to a lesser extent, interleukin-1 beta production, whereas it did not affect interleukin-6 release. Benzydamine also blocked monocyte chemotactic protein-1 secretion, but it did not affect interleukin-8 production. Unlike benzydamine, ibuprofen and naproxen, two non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs also used topically, were unable to suppress inflammatory lymphokine production from Candida-activated mononuclear cells. These data suggest that benzydamine may be effective in local Candida infections at least in part by suppressing inflammatory cytokine and monokine production in the vaginal mucosa and consequently decreasing their levels in vaginal secretions.