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Event: 1496

Key Event Title

A descriptive phrase which defines a discrete biological change that can be measured. More help

Increased, secretion of proinflammatory mediators

Short name
The KE short name should be a reasonable abbreviation of the KE title and is used in labelling this object throughout the AOP-Wiki. More help
Increased proinflammatory mediators
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Biological Context

Structured terms, selected from a drop-down menu, are used to identify the level of biological organization for each KE. More help
Level of Biological Organization
Cellular

Cell term

The location/biological environment in which the event takes place.The biological context describes the location/biological environment in which the event takes place.  For molecular/cellular events this would include the cellular context (if known), organ context, and species/life stage/sex for which the event is relevant. For tissue/organ events cellular context is not applicable.  For individual/population events, the organ context is not applicable.  Further information on Event Components and Biological Context may be viewed on the attached pdf. More help
Cell term
eukaryotic cell

Organ term

The location/biological environment in which the event takes place.The biological context describes the location/biological environment in which the event takes place.  For molecular/cellular events this would include the cellular context (if known), organ context, and species/life stage/sex for which the event is relevant. For tissue/organ events cellular context is not applicable.  For individual/population events, the organ context is not applicable.  Further information on Event Components and Biological Context may be viewed on the attached pdf. More help

Key Event Components

The KE, as defined by a set structured ontology terms consisting of a biological process, object, and action with each term originating from one of 14 biological ontologies (Ives, et al., 2017; https://aopwiki.org/info_pages/2/info_linked_pages/7#List). Biological process describes dynamics of the underlying biological system (e.g., receptor signalling).Biological process describes dynamics of the underlying biological system (e.g., receptor signaling).  The biological object is the subject of the perturbation (e.g., a specific biological receptor that is activated or inhibited). Action represents the direction of perturbation of this system (generally increased or decreased; e.g., ‘decreased’ in the case of a receptor that is inhibited to indicate a decrease in the signaling by that receptor).  Note that when editing Event Components, clicking an existing Event Component from the Suggestions menu will autopopulate these fields, along with their source ID and description.  To clear any fields before submitting the event component, use the 'Clear process,' 'Clear object,' or 'Clear action' buttons.  If a desired term does not exist, a new term request may be made via Term Requests.  Event components may not be edited; to edit an event component, remove the existing event component and create a new one using the terms that you wish to add.  Further information on Event Components and Biological Context may be viewed on the attached pdf. More help
Process Object Action
cytokine production involved in inflammatory response Cytokine increased
chemokine secretion Chemokine increased
complement activation increased
Interleukin increased

Key Event Overview

AOPs Including This Key Event

All of the AOPs that are linked to this KE will automatically be listed in this subsection. This table can be particularly useful for derivation of AOP networks including the KE.Clicking on the name of the AOP will bring you to the individual page for that AOP. More help
AOP Name Role of event in AOP Point of Contact Author Status OECD Status
Substance interaction with the pulmonary cell membrane leading to pulmonary fibrosis KeyEvent Sabina Halappanavar (send email) Under development: Not open for comment. Do not cite WPHA/WNT Endorsed
SARS-CoV-2 leads to acute respiratory distress KeyEvent Young Jun Kim (send email) Open for comment. Do not cite Under Development
AT1R, lung fibrosis KeyEvent Young Jun Kim (send email) Under development: Not open for comment. Do not cite Under Development
Dysregulated fibrinolysis/bradykinin leading to hyperinflammation KeyEvent Penny Nymark (send email) Under development: Not open for comment. Do not cite Under Development
Frustrated phagocytosis leads to malignant mesothelioma KeyEvent Penny Nymark (send email) Under development: Not open for comment. Do not cite
TLR9 activation leading to Multi Organ Failure and ARDS KeyEvent Gillina Bezemer (send email) Under development: Not open for comment. Do not cite
Covalent binding to proteins leads to Respiratory Sensitisation/Sensitization/Allergy KeyEvent Jessica Ponder (send email) Under Development: Contributions and Comments Welcome Under Development
Binding to ACE2 leads to lung fibrosis KeyEvent Young Jun Kim (send email) Open for comment. Do not cite Under Development
Interaction with lung cells leads to lung cancer KeyEvent Penny Nymark (send email) Under development: Not open for comment. Do not cite
Cytopathic SARS-CoV-2 leads to hyperinflammation KeyEvent Laure-Alix Clerbaux (send email) Under development: Not open for comment. Do not cite
Interaction with lung cells leading to atherosclerosis KeyEvent Ulla Vogel (send email) Under development: Not open for comment. Do not cite Under Development

Taxonomic Applicability

Latin or common names of a species or broader taxonomic grouping (e.g., class, order, family) that help to define the biological applicability domain of the KE.In many cases, individual species identified in these structured fields will be those for which the strongest evidence used in constructing the AOP was available in relation to this KE. More help
Term Scientific Term Evidence Link
mouse Mus musculus High NCBI
rats Rattus norvegicus High NCBI
human Homo sapiens High NCBI

Life Stages

An indication of the the relevant life stage(s) for this KE. More help
Life stage Evidence
Adults High

Sex Applicability

An indication of the the relevant sex for this KE. More help
Term Evidence
Male High
Female High

Key Event Description

A description of the biological state being observed or measured, the biological compartment in which it is measured, and its general role in the biology should be provided. More help

Pro-inflammatory mediators are the chemical and biological molecules that initiate and regulate inflammatory reactions. Pro-inflammatory mediators are secreted following exposure to an inflammogen in a gender/sex or developmental stage independent manner. They are secreted during inflammation in all species. Different types of pro-inflammatory mediators are secreted during innate or adaptive immune responses across various species (Mestas and Hughes, 2004). Cell-derived pro-inflammatory mediators include cytokines, chemokines, and growth factors. Blood derived pro-inflammatory mediators include vasoactive amines, complement activation products and others. These modulators can be grouped based on the cell type that secrete them, their cellular localisation and also based on the type of immune response they trigger. For example, members of the interleukin (IL) family including IL-2, IL-4, IL-7, IL-9, IL-15, IL-21, IL-3, IL-5 and Granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) are involved in the adaptive immune responses. The pro-inflammatory cytokines include IL-1 family (IL-1α , IL-1β, IL-1rα, IL-18, IL-36α, IL-36β, IL-36γ, IL-36Rα, IL-37), IL-6 family, Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) family, IL-17, and Interferon gamma (IFN-γ) (Turner et al., 2014). While IL-4 and IL-5 are considered T helper (Th) cell type 2 response, IFN-γ is suggested to be Th1 type response.

Different types of pro-inflammatory mediators are secreted during innate or adaptive immune responses across various species (Mestas and Hughes, 2004). However, IL-1 family cytokines, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, TNF-α, IFN-γ are the commonly measured mediators in experimental animals and in humans. Similar gene expression patterns involving inflammation and matrix remodelling are observed in human patients of pulmonary fibrosis and mouse lungs exposed to bleomycin (Kaminski, 2002).

Literature evidence for its perturbation:

Several studies show increased proinflammatory mediators in rodent lungs and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, and in cell culture supernatants following exposure to a variety of carbon nanotube (CNT) types and other materials. Poland et al., 2008 showed that long and thin CNTs (>5 µm) can elicit asbestos-like pathogenicity through the continual release of pro-inflammatory cytokines and reactive oxygen species. Exposure to crystalline silica induces release of inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1, IL-6), transcription factors (Nuclear factor kappa B [NF-κB], Activator protein-1 [AP-1]) and kinase signalling pathways in mice that contain NF-κB luciferase reporter (Hubbard et al., 2002). Boyles et al., 2015 found that lung responses to long multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) included high expression levels of pro-inflammatory mediators Monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1), Transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-β1), and TNF-α (Boyles et al., 2015). Bleomycin administration in rodents induces lung inflammation and increased expression of pro-inflammatory mediators (Park et al., 2019). Inflammation induced by bleomycin, paraquat and CNTs is characterised by the altered expression of pro-inflammatory mediators. A large number of nanomaterials induce expression of cytokines and chemokines in lungs of rodents exposed via inhalation (Halappanavar et al., 2011; Husain et al., 2015a). Similarities are observed in gene programs involving pro-inflammatory event is observed in both humans and experimental mice (Zuo et al., 2002).

How It Is Measured or Detected

A description of the type(s) of measurements that can be employed to evaluate the KE and the relative level of scientific confidence in those measurements.These can range from citation of specific validated test guidelines, citation of specific methods published in the peer reviewed literature, or outlines of a general protocol or approach (e.g., a protein may be measured by ELISA). Do not provide detailed protocols. More help

The selection of pro-inflammatory mediators for investigation varies based on the expertise of the lab, cell types studied and the availability of the specific antibodies.

Real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) – will measure the abundance of cytokine mRNA in a given sample. The method involves three steps: conversion of RNA into cDNA by reverse transcription method, amplification of cDNA using the PCR, and the real-time detection and quantification of amplified products (amplicons) (Nolan et al., 2006). Amplicons are detected using fluorescence, increase in which is directly proportional to the amplified PCR product. The number of cycles required per sample to reach a certain threshold of fluorescence (set by the user – usually set in the linear phase of the amplification, and the observed difference in samples to cross the set threshold reflects the initial amount available for amplification) is used to quantify the relative amount in the samples. The amplified products are detected by the DNA intercalating minor groove-binding fluorophore SYBR green, which produces a signal when incorporated into double-stranded amplicons. Since the cDNA is single stranded, the dye does not bind enhancing the specificity of the results. There are other methods such as nested fluorescent probes for detection, but SYBR green is widely used. RT-PCR primers specific to several pro-inflammatory mediators in several species including mouse, rat and humans, are readily available commercially.

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) – permit quantitative measurement of antigens in biological samples. The method is the same as described for the MIE. Both ELISA and qRT-PCR assays are used in vivo and are readily applicable to in vitro cell culture models, where cell culture supernatants or whole cell homogenates are used for ELISA or mRNA assays. Both assays are straight forward, quantitative and require relatively a small amount of input sample.

Apart from assaying single protein or gene at a time, cytokine bead arrays or cytokine PCR arrays can also be used to detect a whole panel of inflammatory mediators in a multiplex method (Husain et al., 2015b). This method is quantitative and especially advantageous when the sample amount available for testing is scarce. Lastly, immunohistochemistry can also be used to detect specific immune cell types producing the pro-inflammatory mediators and its downstream effectors in any given tissue (Costa et al., 2017). Immunohistochemistry results can be used as weight of evidence; however, the technique is not quantitative and depending on the specific antibodies used, the assay sensitivity may also become an issue (Amsen and De Visser, 2009).

Cell models - of varying complexity have been used to assess the expression of pro-inflammatory mediators. Two dimensional submerged monocultures of the main fibrotic effector cells – lung epithelial cells, macrophages, and fibroblasts – have routinely been used in vitro due to the large literature base, and ease of use, but do not adequately mimic the in vivo condition (Sharma et al., 2016; Sundarakrishnan et al., 2018). Recently, the EpiAlveolar in vitro lung model (containing epithelial cells, endothelial cells, and fibroblasts) was used to predict the fibrotic potential of MWCNTs, and researchers noted increases in the pro-inflammatory molecules TNF-α, IL-1β, and the pro-fibrotic TGF-β using ELISA (Barasova et al., 2020). A similar, but less complicated co-culture model of immortalized human alveolar epithelial cells and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis patient derived fibroblasts was used to assess pro-fibrotic signalling, and noted enhanced secretion of Platelet derived growth factor (PDGF) and Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), as well as evidence for epithelial to mesenchymal transition of epithelial cells in this system (Prasad et al., 2014). Models such as these better capitulate the in vivo pulmonary alveolar capillary, but have lower reproducibility as compared to traditional submerged mono-culture experiments.

Domain of Applicability

A description of the scientific basis for the indicated domains of applicability and the WoE calls (if provided).  More help

Human, mouse, rat

Cytokines are the common pro-inflammatory mediators secreted following inflammogenic stimuli. Cytokines can be defined as a diverse group of signaling protein molecules. They are secreted by different cell types in different tissues and in all mammalian species, irrespective of gender, age or sex. A lot of literature is available to support cross species, gender and developmental stage application for this KE. The challenge is the specificity; most cytokines exhibit redundant functions and many are pleotropic.

References

List of the literature that was cited for this KE description. More help

1. Amsen D, de Visser KE, Town T. Approaches to determine expression of inflammatory cytokines. Methods Mol Biol. 2009;511:107-42. doi: 10.1007/978-1-59745-447-6_5. 

2. Barosova H, Maione AG, Septiadi D, Sharma M, Haeni L, Balog S, O'Connell O, Jackson GR, Brown D, Clippinger AJ, Hayden P, Petri-Fink A, Stone V, Rothen-Rutishauser B. Use of EpiAlveolar Lung Model to Predict Fibrotic Potential of Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes. ACS Nano. 2020 Apr 28;14(4):3941-3956. doi: 10.1021/acsnano.9b06860. 

3. Boyles MS, Young L, Brown DM, MacCalman L, Cowie H, Moisala A, Smail F, Smith PJ, Proudfoot L, Windle AH, Stone V. Multi-walled carbon nanotube induced frustrated phagocytosis, cytotoxicity and pro-inflammatory conditions in macrophages are length dependent and greater than that of asbestos. Toxicol In Vitro. 2015 Oct;29(7):1513-28. doi: 10.1016/j.tiv.2015.06.012. 

4. Costa PM, Gosens I, Williams A, Farcal L, Pantano D, Brown DM, Stone V, Cassee FR, Halappanavar S, Fadeel B. Transcriptional profiling reveals gene expression changes associated with inflammation and cell proliferation following short-term inhalation exposure to copper oxide nanoparticles. J Appl Toxicol. 2018 Mar;38(3):385-397. doi: 10.1002/jat.3548.

5. Halappanavar S, Jackson P, Williams A, Jensen KA, Hougaard KS, Vogel U, Yauk CL, Wallin H. Pulmonary response to surface-coated nanotitanium dioxide particles includes induction of acute phase response genes, inflammatory cascades, and changes in microRNAs: a toxicogenomic study. Environ Mol Mutagen. 2011 Jul;52(6):425-39. doi: 10.1002/em.20639. 

6. Hubbard AK, Timblin CR, Shukla A, Rincón M, Mossman BT. Activation of NF-kappaB-dependent gene expression by silica in lungs of luciferase reporter mice. Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol. 2002 May;282(5):L968-75. doi: 10.1152/ajplung.00327.2001.

7. Husain M, Kyjovska ZO, Bourdon-Lacombe J, Saber AT, Jensen KA, Jacobsen NR, Williams A, Wallin H, Halappanavar S, Vogel U, Yauk CL. Carbon black nanoparticles induce biphasic gene expression changes associated with inflammatory responses in the lungs of C57BL/6 mice following a single intratracheal instillation. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol. 2015a Dec 15;289(3):573-88. doi: 10.1016/j.taap.2015.11.003.

8. Husain M, Wu D, Saber AT, Decan N, Jacobsen NR, Williams A, Yauk CL, Wallin H, Vogel U, Halappanavar S. Intratracheally instilled titanium dioxide nanoparticles translocate to heart and liver and activate complement cascade in the heart of C57BL/6 mice. Nanotoxicology. 2015b;9(8):1013-22. doi: 10.3109/17435390.2014.996192.

9. Kaminski N. Microarray analysis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol. 2003 Sep;29(3 Suppl):S32-6.

10. Mestas J, Hughes CC. Of mice and not men: differences between mouse and human immunology. J Immunol. 2004 Mar 1;172(5):2731-8. doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.172.5.2731.

11. Nolan T, Hands RE, Bustin SA. Quantification of mRNA using real-time RT-PCR. Nat Protoc. 2006;1(3):1559-82. doi: 10.1038/nprot.2006.236.

12. Park SJ, Im DS. Deficiency of Sphingosine-1-Phosphate Receptor 2 (S1P2) Attenuates Bleomycin-Induced Pulmonary Fibrosis. Biomol Ther (Seoul). 2019 May 1;27(3):318-326. doi: 10.4062/biomolther.2018.131.

13. Poland CA, Duffin R, Kinloch I, Maynard A, Wallace WA, Seaton A, Stone V, Brown S, Macnee W, Donaldson K. Carbon nanotubes introduced into the abdominal cavity of mice show asbestos-like pathogenicity in a pilot study. Nat Nanotechnol. 2008 Jul;3(7):423-8. doi: 10.1038/nnano.2008.111.

14. Prasad S, Hogaboam CM, Jarai G. Deficient repair response of IPF fibroblasts in a co-culture model of epithelial injury and repair. Fibrogenesis Tissue Repair. 2014 Apr 29;7:7. doi: 10.1186/1755-1536-7-7. 

15. Sharma M, Nikota J, Halappanavar S, Castranova V, Rothen-Rutishauser B, Clippinger AJ. Predicting pulmonary fibrosis in humans after exposure to multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). Arch Toxicol. 2016 Jul;90(7):1605-22. doi: 10.1007/s00204-016-1742-7. 

16. Sundarakrishnan A, Chen Y, Black LD, Aldridge BB, Kaplan DL. Engineered cell and tissue models of pulmonary fibrosis. Adv Drug Deliv Rev. 2018 Apr;129:78-94. doi: 10.1016/j.addr.2017.12.013.

17. Turner MD, Nedjai B, Hurst T, Pennington DJ. Cytokines and chemokines: At the crossroads of cell signalling and inflammatory disease. Biochim Biophys Acta. 2014 Nov;1843(11):2563-2582. doi: 10.1016/j.bbamcr.2014.05.014. 

18. Zuo F, Kaminski N, Eugui E, Allard J, Yakhini Z, Ben-Dor A, Lollini L, Morris D, Kim Y, DeLustro B, Sheppard D, Pardo A, Selman M, Heller RA. Gene expression analysis reveals matrilysin as a key regulator of pulmonary fibrosis in mice and humans. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2002 Apr 30;99(9):6292-7. doi: 10.1073/pnas.092134099.