Sex-Based Disparities in Leukocyte Migration and Activation in Response to Inhalation Lung Injury: Role of SDF-1/CXCR4 Signaling
Tanima Chatterjee,
Terry L. Lewis,
Itika Arora,
Anastasiia E. Gryshyna,
Lilly Underwood,
Juan Xavier Masjoan Juncos,
Saurabh Aggarwal
Affiliations
Tanima Chatterjee
Division of Molecular and Translational Biomedicine, Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35205-3703, USA
Terry L. Lewis
Division of Molecular and Translational Biomedicine, Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35205-3703, USA
Itika Arora
Division of Molecular and Translational Biomedicine, Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35205-3703, USA
Anastasiia E. Gryshyna
Division of Molecular and Translational Biomedicine, Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35205-3703, USA
Lilly Underwood
Division of Molecular and Translational Biomedicine, Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35205-3703, USA
Juan Xavier Masjoan Juncos
Division of Molecular and Translational Biomedicine, Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35205-3703, USA
Saurabh Aggarwal
Division of Molecular and Translational Biomedicine, Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35205-3703, USA
The aim of the study was to determine whether sex-related differences exist in immune response to inhalation lung injury. C57BL/6 mice were exposed to Cl2 gas (500 ppm for 15, 20, or 30 min). Results showed that male mice have higher rates of mortality and lung injury than females. The binding of the chemokine ligand C-X-C motif chemokine 12 (CXCL12), also called stromal-derived-factor-1 (SDF-1), to the C-X-C chemokine receptor type 4 (CXCR4) on lung cells promotes the migration of leukocytes from circulation to lungs. Therefore, the hypothesis was that elevated SDF-1/CXCR4 signaling mediates exaggerated immune response in males. Plasma, blood leukocytes, and lung cells were collected from mice post-Cl2 exposure. Plasma levels of SDF-1 and peripheral levels of CXCR4 in lung cells were higher in male vs. female mice post-Cl2 exposure. Myeloperoxidase (MPO) and elastase activity was significantly increased in leukocytes of male mice exposed to Cl2. Lung cells were then ex vivo treated with SDF-1 (100 ng/mL) in the presence or absence of the CXCR4 inhibitor, AMD3100 (100 nM). SDF-1 significantly increased migration, MPO, and elastase activity in cells obtained from male vs. female mice post-Cl2 exposure. AMD3100 attenuated these effects, suggesting that differential SDF-1/CXCR4 signaling may be responsible for sex-based disparities in the immune response to inhalation lung injury.
