Heparin fragments induce cervical inflammation by recruiting immune cells through Toll-like receptor 4 in nonpregnant mice
Åkerud, Anna LU ; Axelsson, Jakob LU ; Yadav, Manisha LU ; Erjefält, Jonas LU ; Ekman-Ordeberg, Gunvor ; Malmström, Anders LU
and Fischer, Hans
LU
(2021)
In Molecular Human Reproduction
27(3).
- Abstract
Inflammation is a hallmark in the human cervix remodelling. A possible candidate inducing the inflammatory driven ripening of the cervix is the matrix component heparan sulphate, which has been shown to be elevated in late pregnancy in the cervix and uterus. Heparin and a glycol-split low molecular weight heparin (gsHep) with low anticoagulant potency has been shown to enhance myometrial contraction and interleukin (IL)-8 production by cervical fibroblasts. The aim of this study was to investigate the mechanism by which heparin promotes cervical inflammation. Wild-type, Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), Myeloid differentiation primary response gene 88 (MyD88) and Interferon regulatory factor 3 (IRF3)-deficient mice were treated by deposition... (More)
Inflammation is a hallmark in the human cervix remodelling. A possible candidate inducing the inflammatory driven ripening of the cervix is the matrix component heparan sulphate, which has been shown to be elevated in late pregnancy in the cervix and uterus. Heparin and a glycol-split low molecular weight heparin (gsHep) with low anticoagulant potency has been shown to enhance myometrial contraction and interleukin (IL)-8 production by cervical fibroblasts. The aim of this study was to investigate the mechanism by which heparin promotes cervical inflammation. Wild-type, Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), Myeloid differentiation primary response gene 88 (MyD88) and Interferon regulatory factor 3 (IRF3)-deficient mice were treated by deposition of gsHep into the vaginas of nonpregnant mice. To identify which cells that responded to the heparin fragments, a rhodamine fluorescent construct of gsHep was used, which initially did bind to the epithelial cells and were at later time points located in the sub-mucosa. The heparin fragments induced a strong local inflammatory response in wild-type mice shown by a rapid infiltration of neutrophils and to a lesser extent macrophages into the epithelium and the underlying extracellular matrix of the cervix. Further, a marked migration into the cervical and vaginal lumen was seen by both neutrophils and macrophages. The induced mucosal inflammation was strongly reduced in TLR4- and IRF3-deficient mice. In conclusion, our findings suggest that a TLR4/IRF3-mediated innate immune response in the cervical mucosa is induced by gsHep. This low anticoagulant heparin version, a novel TLR4 agonist, could contribute to human cervical ripening during the initiation of labour.
(Less)
- author
- Åkerud, Anna
LU
; Axelsson, Jakob
LU
; Yadav, Manisha
LU
; Erjefält, Jonas
LU
; Ekman-Ordeberg, Gunvor
; Malmström, Anders
LU
and Fischer, Hans
LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2021
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- cervical ripening, epithelial cells, heparin, IRF3-deficient mice, macrophages, MyD88, neutrophils, TLR4, Toll-like receptor 4
- in
- Molecular Human Reproduction
- volume
- 27
- issue
- 3
- article number
- gaab004
- publisher
- Oxford University Press
- external identifiers
-
- pmid:33508081
- scopus:85102536741
- ISSN
- 1460-2407
- DOI
- 10.1093/molehr/gaab004
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- dcbef6f5-11f8-406d-910a-e3d64015ec12
- date added to LUP
- 2021-03-25 14:04:09
- date last changed
- 2024-04-20 03:26:06
@article{dcbef6f5-11f8-406d-910a-e3d64015ec12,
abstract = {{<p>Inflammation is a hallmark in the human cervix remodelling. A possible candidate inducing the inflammatory driven ripening of the cervix is the matrix component heparan sulphate, which has been shown to be elevated in late pregnancy in the cervix and uterus. Heparin and a glycol-split low molecular weight heparin (gsHep) with low anticoagulant potency has been shown to enhance myometrial contraction and interleukin (IL)-8 production by cervical fibroblasts. The aim of this study was to investigate the mechanism by which heparin promotes cervical inflammation. Wild-type, Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), Myeloid differentiation primary response gene 88 (MyD88) and Interferon regulatory factor 3 (IRF3)-deficient mice were treated by deposition of gsHep into the vaginas of nonpregnant mice. To identify which cells that responded to the heparin fragments, a rhodamine fluorescent construct of gsHep was used, which initially did bind to the epithelial cells and were at later time points located in the sub-mucosa. The heparin fragments induced a strong local inflammatory response in wild-type mice shown by a rapid infiltration of neutrophils and to a lesser extent macrophages into the epithelium and the underlying extracellular matrix of the cervix. Further, a marked migration into the cervical and vaginal lumen was seen by both neutrophils and macrophages. The induced mucosal inflammation was strongly reduced in TLR4- and IRF3-deficient mice. In conclusion, our findings suggest that a TLR4/IRF3-mediated innate immune response in the cervical mucosa is induced by gsHep. This low anticoagulant heparin version, a novel TLR4 agonist, could contribute to human cervical ripening during the initiation of labour.</p>}},
author = {{Åkerud, Anna and Axelsson, Jakob and Yadav, Manisha and Erjefält, Jonas and Ekman-Ordeberg, Gunvor and Malmström, Anders and Fischer, Hans}},
issn = {{1460-2407}},
keywords = {{cervical ripening; epithelial cells; heparin; IRF3-deficient mice; macrophages; MyD88; neutrophils; TLR4; Toll-like receptor 4}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{3}},
publisher = {{Oxford University Press}},
series = {{Molecular Human Reproduction}},
title = {{Heparin fragments induce cervical inflammation by recruiting immune cells through Toll-like receptor 4 in nonpregnant mice}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/molehr/gaab004}},
doi = {{10.1093/molehr/gaab004}},
volume = {{27}},
year = {{2021}},
}