Related Experiment Videos
Fucoidin, a polysaccharide inhibiting leukocyte rolling, attenuates inflammatory responses in experimental
K Angstwurm1, J R Weber, A Segert
1Department of Neurology, Charité, Humboldt-University, Berlin, Germany.
Abstract:
It is presumed that adjuvant therapy rather than new antibiotics will improve the prognosis of pneumococcal meningitis. We investigated the effect of fucoidin, a polysaccharide inhibiting leukocyte rolling, on inflammatory changes in experimental meningitis in rats. After induction of meningitis by pneumococcal cell wall components, regional cerebral blood flow and intracranial pressure increased over the observation period of 6 h. At the end of the experiments, cerebrospinal fluid pleocytosis and brain water content were higher in animals with meningitis than without. Fucoidin treatment in the meningitis group reduced all inflammatory changes, whereas fucoidin treatment of animals without meningitis increased blood white cell count, but had no effect on any other parameter. Our results confirm that selectins are involved in the early phase of pneumococcal meningitis and possibly are a target for adjunctive therapy.
Insights
Fucoidin, an anti-inflammatory agent, reduced inflammatory changes in experimental pneumococcal meningitis in rats. This suggests selectins may be a therapeutic target for improving meningitis prognosis.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Immunology
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Pneumococcal meningitis prognosis may improve with adjuvant therapy, not solely new antibiotics.
- Leukocyte-cell adhesion molecules, such as selectins, are implicated in inflammatory processes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the therapeutic potential of fucoidin, a leukocyte rolling inhibitor, in experimental pneumococcal meningitis.
- To explore the role of selectins in the early inflammatory phase of pneumococcal meningitis.
Main Methods:
- Induction of meningitis in rats using pneumococcal cell wall components.
- Administration of fucoidin to assess its impact on inflammatory markers.
- Measurement of regional cerebral blood flow, intracranial pressure, cerebrospinal fluid pleocytosis, and brain water content.
Main Results:
- Meningitis induction led to increased cerebral blood flow, intracranial pressure, pleocytosis, and brain water content.
- Fucoidin treatment significantly reduced these inflammatory markers in meningitis models.
- Fucoidin did not affect non-meningitis control animals, except for a minor increase in blood white cell count.
Conclusions:
- Selectins play a crucial role in the early inflammatory stages of pneumococcal meningitis.
- Fucoidin demonstrates potential as an adjunctive therapy for pneumococcal meningitis by targeting selectin-mediated inflammation.