In human neutrophils, IL-8 induces chemotaxis, the respiratory burst, and granule release, and enhances cellular adhesion, a beta(2) integrin-dependent event. IL-8 stimulates neutrophil adhesion to purified fibrinogen in a Mac-1-dependent manner. Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) activation was detected in human neutrophil lysates after treatment with IL-8 and PMA, but not the activating ...

Our previous studies demonstrated that high mobility group box-1 (HMGB1), a typical damage-associated molecular pattern (DAMP) protein, is associated with the disease activity of antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV). Moreover, HMGB1 participates in ANCA-induced neutrophil activation. The current study aimed to investigate whether HMGB1 regulated the interaction...

The serine/threonine kinase, Akt, also known as PKB (Protein Kinase B) is one important signal transduction pathway that mediates the delay of neutrophil apoptosis caused by inflammatory mediators. Proteins controlled by the PKB/Akt pathway have been reported to prevent or reverse apoptotic-signaling pathways and regulate cell survival. In this review we discuss the role of PKB/Akt activation i...

Neutrophils use cell surface molecules to communicate with their external environment. These molecules are markers reflecting neutrophil development, activation status and cell function. They are also critically important in controlling neutrophil behavior. Targeting these cell surface molecules is an attractive approach in the treatment of neutrophil-mediated conditions.

Neutrophils play a critical role in the initiation and maintenance of intestinal inflammation. However, conventional neutrophil-targeted therapies can impair normal host defense. Tanshinone IIA has been recently revealed to act directly on neutrophils. Hence, we aimed at investigating whether Tanshinone IIA can protect against experimental colitis through modulation of neutrophils. We induced c...

The technical limitations of isolating neutrophils without contaminating leukocytes, while concurrently minimizing neutrophil activation, is a barrier to determining specific neutrophil functions. We aimed to assess the use of FACS for generating highly pure quiescent neutrophil populations in an antibody-free environment. Peripheral blood human granulocytes and murine bone marrow-derived neutr...

Neutrophil infiltration is central to the pathogenesis of Clostridium difficiletoxin A-induced enterocolitis. This study examines whether monocyte activation by C. difficile toxins is instrumental in initiating neutrophil activation and recruitment. Human monocytes were exposed to low concentrations of highly purified C. difficile toxins, and the conditioned media were harvested for cytokine an...

Neutrophils contribute to the healing of and scar formation in myocardium after ischemic injury. Many recent studies indicate that neutrophils may be involved in the genesis and propagation of myocardial ischemia. To characterize neutrophil function in ischemic heart disease, neutrophil chemotaxis, leukotriene B4 (LTB4) generation, and elastase release in plasma were measured in 20 patients wit...

The filarial nematode Onchocerca volvulus is the causative organism of river blindness. Our previous studies demonstrated an essential role for endosymbiotic Wolbachia bacteria in corneal disease, which is characterized by neutrophil infiltration into the corneal stroma and the development of corneal haze. To determine the role of Toll-like receptors (TLRs) in neutrophil recruitment and activat...

The second messenger molecule cyclic AMP dramatically modulates the apoptotic program in a wide variety of cells, accelerating apoptosis in some and delaying the rate of apoptosis in others. Human neutrophil apoptosis, a process that regulates the fate and numbers of these potentially histotoxic cells in inflammatory sites, is profoundly delayed by the cell-permeable analog of cyclic AMP, dibut...