2 Lamina propria DCs are situated to pick up any material transported between or through the epithelial cells. Indeed, a more important role has been recently ascribed to the lamina propria than the Peyer’s patches in inducing immune responses in the small intestine.3 After their loading with mucosal antigens, DCs are trafficked to the MLNs to present the processed antigen to naïve T
cells. In cirrhosis, there is an increased susceptibility Antiinfection Compound Library order to spontaneous bacterial infections, mainly those caused by Gram-negative aerobic bacteria. Most of these infections are of enteric origin and arise from the translocation of bacteria from the gut lumen to the MLNs. Indeed, an increased rate of gut bacterial translocation (GBT) has been observed both in patients and in experimental models of cirrhosis with ascites.4-7 Attempts to explain the high rate of GBT in cirrhosis include intestinal barrier damage, which leads to increased intestinal permeability and an increased enteric bacterial load.6, 8 However, the potential contribution of another component of the intestinal barrier (the immune system) to GBT and, specifically, the part played by a pivotal regulatory element of the innate and adaptive immune response (the Forskolin in vitro DC) has not been addressed so far. Damage to gut DCs could be the consequence of splanchnic hyperactivity of the sympathetic
nervous system,9, 10 liver insufficiency,11 and/or its exhaustion after chronic stimulation by enteric bacterial
overload.12-14 The present study was designed to examine in rats with ascitic cirrhosis (1) the distribution, activation state, and functions of DCs isolated from the MLNs and small intestine lamina propria and (2) possible correlations between the observed abnormalities and GBT. APC, allophycocyanin; Bact-DNA, bacterial DNA; CCL21, (C-C motif) ligand 21; CFU, colony-forming units; DCs, dendritic cells; DMEM, Dulbecco’s modified Eagle’s medium; FITC, fluorescein isothiocyanate; GBT, 4-Aminobutyrate aminotransferase gut bacterial translocation; HBSS, Hank’s balanced salt solution; LPS, lipopolysaccharide; mAbs, monoclonal antibodies; MFI, mean fluorescence intensity; MHC, major histocompatibility complex; MLNs, mesenteric lymph nodes; PBS, phosphate-buffered saline; PE, phycoerythrin; TNF-α, tumor necrosis factor alpha. Cirrhosis was induced in male pathogen-free Wistar rats (120-140 g initial weight) by intragastric weekly CCl4 administration (Farmitalia-Carlo Erba, Milan, Italy). Phenobarbital (Química Farmacéutica Bayer, Barcelona, Spain) was given in drinking water.15 The initial 20-μL dose of CCl4 was increased depending on the animal’s weekly change in body weight. CCl4 was continued for 2 weeks after ascites onset. Experiments were performed 7 days after the last CCl4 dose and according to the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (National Institutes of Health publication 86-23, revised 1985) and fulfilled local regulations.