An embryonic stem (ES) cell/OP9 coculture system for the effective production of functional neutrophils is described. A 3-step differentiation strategy was developed that uses liquid culture, enabling reliable and abundant production of neutrophils at high purity without the need of sorting for isolation of mature neutrophils. Use of the OP9 stromal cell line significantly enhances the number, ...

Beside the well-established impact on decreasing the risk of cardiovascular diseases (1), recent attention has been paid to the relationship between cocoa-containing foods and the immune system (2), showing that dark chocolate consumption enhances the systemic defense against bacterial (3) and viral (4) infections. Hence, the current study aimed at investigating the acute effect of dark chocola...

Neutrophil activation and increased migration is associated with preeclampsia and is resolved after delivery. Preeclampsia is an inflammatory disorder where altered levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and the circulating soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 (sFlt-1) have a pathogenic role. VEGF, by binding to FLT-1, induces leukocytic chemotaxis. We studied expression and function...

BACKGROUND & AIMS Substantial evidence indicates that inflammation is a critical component of tumor progression. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is usually derived from inflamed cirrhotic liver with extensive leukocyte infiltration. Neutrophils are the common inflammatory infiltrate in tumors, but their nature and regulation in human cancers remain elusive. METHODS A total of 238 HCC patients ...

Neutrophils are obligate cells entering lymph nodes shortly after immunization with protein antigens in adjuvants, starting during the first hour and continuing for several days in two distinct waves. Previously, we demonstrated the strong suppressive effects of neutrophils on CD4 T cell and B cell responses, using either neutrophil-depleting antibodies or genetically neutropenic mice. In this ...

BACKGROUND Neutrophils in unstable atherosclerotic lesions have not received much consideration, despite accumulating evidence suggesting a link between systemic inflammation and acute coronary syndromes. METHODS AND RESULTS Coronary artery segments were obtained at autopsy from 13 patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI); 8 had a ruptured and 5 an eroded plaque. Patients (n=45) who ha...

Noncapsulate Haemophilus influenzae is commonly found in the airways of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), both during stable disease and during exacerbations. Neutrophils are also found in large numbers in sputum from patients with COPD, which also contains released neutrophil products such as elastase. Why H. influenzae colonizes the lungs of patients with COPD in the...

Nucleotides are released during vascular injury from activated platelets and broken cells, which could stimulate human neutrophils. In this study, we characterized the P2Y receptors and investigated the functional effects of extracellular nucleotides on human neutrophils. Pharmacological characterization using selective agonists and pertussis toxin revealed that human neutrophils express only f...

LPS-activated neutrophils secrete IL-1β by activation of TLR-4. Based on studies in macrophages, it is likely that ROS and lysosomal destabilization regulated by Syk activation may also be involved. Since neutrophils have abundant expression of the ITIM-containing co-receptor CEACAM1 and Gram-negative bacteria such as Neisseria utilize CEACAM1 as a receptor that inhibits inflammation, we hypoth...

Chemoattractants differ in their capacity to stimulate neutrophils to adhere to and to migrate through matrices containing fibrin. Formyl methionyl leucyl phenylalanine (fMLP) stimulates neutrophils to adhere closely to, but not to migrate into, fibrin gels. Leukotriene B4 (LTB4) stimulates neutrophils to adhere loosely to and to migrate through fibrin gels. We report that a 5 b 1 integrins reg...