Inhaled carbon monoxide reduces leukocytosis in a murine model of sickle cell disease

Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol. 2009 Oct;297(4):H1243-53. doi: 10.1152/ajpheart.00327.2009. Epub 2009 Jul 17.

Abstract

Carbon monoxide (CO) has anti-inflammatory properties. We previously reported that acute treatments with inhaled CO inhibit vascular inflammation and hypoxia-induced vasoocclusion in sickle cell disease mouse models. Therefore, we hypothesized that chronic CO inhalation would decrease vascular inflammation and organ pathology in a sickle cell disease mouse model. The treatment of sickle cell disease mice with 25 or 250 parts/million inhaled CO for 1 h/day, 3 days/wk for 8-10 wk significantly decreased the total mean white blood cell, neutrophil, and lymphocyte counts in peripheral blood. Eight weeks of 250 parts/million CO treatments reduced staining for myeloid and lymphoid markers in the bone marrow of sickle mice. Bone marrow from treated sickle mice exhibited a significant decrease in colony-forming unit granulocyte-macrophage during colony-forming cell assays. Anti-inflammatory signaling pathways phospho-Akt and phospho-p38 MAPK were markedly increased in CO-treated sickle livers. Importantly, CO-treated sickle mice had a significant reduction in liver parenchymal necrosis, reflecting the anti-inflammatory benefits of CO. We conclude that inhaled CO may be a beneficial anti-inflammatory therapy for sickle cell disease.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Administration, Inhalation
  • Anemia, Sickle Cell / blood
  • Anemia, Sickle Cell / complications
  • Anemia, Sickle Cell / drug therapy*
  • Anemia, Sickle Cell / genetics
  • Anemia, Sickle Cell / pathology
  • Animals
  • Anti-Inflammatory Agents / administration & dosage*
  • Apoferritins / metabolism
  • Carbon Monoxide / administration & dosage*
  • Carboxyhemoglobin / metabolism
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Cytokines / blood
  • Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
  • Enzyme Activation
  • Erythroid Precursor Cells / drug effects
  • Female
  • Granulocyte-Macrophage Progenitor Cells / drug effects
  • Hematopoiesis / drug effects
  • Heme Oxygenase-1 / metabolism
  • Hemoglobin, Sickle / genetics
  • Hemoglobin, Sickle / metabolism
  • Hemolysis / drug effects
  • Humans
  • Leukocyte Count
  • Leukocytosis / blood
  • Leukocytosis / drug therapy*
  • Leukocytosis / genetics
  • Leukocytosis / pathology
  • Liver / drug effects
  • Liver / metabolism
  • Liver / pathology
  • Lymphocytes / drug effects
  • Male
  • Membrane Proteins / metabolism
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Mice, Transgenic
  • Necrosis
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt / metabolism
  • Time Factors
  • p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases / metabolism

Substances

  • Anti-Inflammatory Agents
  • Cytokines
  • Hemoglobin, Sickle
  • Membrane Proteins
  • hemoglobin S-Antilles
  • Carbon Monoxide
  • Apoferritins
  • Carboxyhemoglobin
  • Heme Oxygenase-1
  • Hmox1 protein, mouse
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt
  • p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases