Augmentation of monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) and mRNA Transcript in chronic inflammatory states induced by potassium permanganate (KMnO4) in vivo

Monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) is a proinflammatory cytokine that attracts and activates specific types of leucocytes. The purpose of this work was to analyse the generation of MCP-1 and mRNA transcript in a model of chronic inflammation using a granulomatous tissue induced by potassium permanganate (KMnO4; water soluble crystals). The data presented here shows that MCP-1 is generated in granuloma tissue and its level was strongly increased by i.p. injections of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and inhibited in rats treated with injections of dexamethasone, 18 hr before the animals were killed. In histological studies LPS and dexamethasone increased and decreased, respectively, the recruitment of mononuclear cells in the granuloma tissue compared with the control granulomas from phosphate-buffered saline (PBS)-treated animals. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used for mRNA extraction and cDNA synthesis. mRNA MCP-1 was significantly produced in the granuloma tissue of untreated animals, an effect increased by LPS and inhibited by dexamethasone, compared with the controls. Moreover, MCP-1 protein was found in the supernatant from homogenized granuloma tissues and the levels of MCP-1 were higher in the LPS-treated animals, while they were lower in the dexamethasone group, compared with the granulomas from the PBS-treated groups (control). The generation of MCP-1 was also found in minced granuloma tissue incubated for 18 hr (overnight) from treated (LPS or dexamethasone) and untreated (PBS) rats. When LPS was added in vitro for 18 hr to the controls and treated animals the production of MCP-1 was further increased except in the dexamethasone group (P > 0.05). Analysing blood serum from LPS, dexamethasone or PBS-treated rats, we found that MCP-1 was also present. The level was higher in the LPS group and lower in the dexamethasone group, compared with the control (PBS). In these studies we show for the first time that MCP-1 transcript and translation is generated in chronic experimental inflammatory tissue, an effect inhibited by dexamethasone.