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Is inflammation a consequence of extracellular hyperosmolarity?
Laurent Schwartz1, Adeline Guais, Mohammad Pooya
1Service de Radiothérapie Hôpital Pitié-Salpétrière, Paris, 75013 France. laurent.schwartz@polytechnique.edu.
Journal of Inflammation (London, England)
|June 25, 2009
Summary
Hyperosmolarity, or high solute concentration, is closely linked to inflammation. This study found that elevated osmolarity in inflammatory fluids triggers proinflammatory cytokine release and alters macrophage cell fate, suggesting these phenomena are synonymous.
Area of Science:
- Cell biology
- Immunology
- Physiology
Background:
- Emerging evidence suggests hyperosmolarity induces inflammation.
- Previous work linked Dextran Sodium Sulfate-induced inflammatory bowel disease to hyperosmolarity.
- This study aimed to confirm the hyperosmolarity-inflammation link in vivo and in vitro.
Purpose of the Study:
- Assess in vivo osmolarity during inflammation.
- Compare inflammatory potential of different osmotic agents.
- Investigate long-term cell fate consequences of hyperosmolarity.
Main Methods:
- Measured osmotic pressure in inflammatory fluids from BCG or Freund adjuvant-induced inflammation in mice.
- Exposed epithelial cell lines (HT29, T24, A549) to increasing osmolarities (300-900 mOsm) of Mannitol, Propylene Glycol, and Glycerol.
- Assessed inflammatory response via ELISA and RPA; cultured macrophages long-term under hyperosmotic conditions.
Main Results:
- Inflammation in mice correlated with hyperosmolarity in inflammatory fluids.
- Osmolarities above 300 mOsm induced proinflammatory cytokine secretion (IL-8, IL-6, IL-1β, TNF-α).
- Long-term hyperosmotic culture increased macrophage half-life (44 to 102 days) and altered p53, Bcl-2, and Bax expression.
Conclusions:
- Hyperosmolarity is strongly correlated with inflammation.
- The findings suggest inflammation and hyperosmolarity are fundamentally related, potentially synonymous phenomena.
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