Pituitary Adenylate Cyclase-Activating Polypeptide Alleviates Intestinal, Extra-Intestinal and Systemic Inflammatory Responses during Acute Campylobacter jejuni-induced Enterocolitis in Mice

• Published in: Pathogens (Basel) 2020-09, Vol.9 (10), p.805
• Main Authors: Heimesaat, Markus M., Mousavi, Soraya, Kløve, Sigri, Genger, Claudia, Weschka, Dennis, Tamas, Andrea, Reglodi, Dora, Bereswill, Stefan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: anti-apoptotic properties; anti-inflammatory effects; Apoptosis; Arthritis; Campylobacter; Campylobacter jejuni; Campylobacteriosis; cell proliferation and regeneration; cellular protection; Colon; Colonization; Complications; Diarrhea; Disease; Enterocolitis; immune modulation; Immunomodulation; Infections; Inflammation; Inflammatory bowel disease; Interleukin 10; Intestine; Lymphocytes; Lymphocytes T; Macrophages; Microbiota; Monocytes; Nervous system; Neuropeptides; Organs; Pathogens; Pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide; pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP); Polypeptides; Rodents; γ-Interferon
• ISSN: 2076-0817; 2076-0817
• DOI: 10.3390/pathogens9100805

Human Campylobacter jejuni infections are emerging, and constitute a significant health burden worldwide. The ubiquitously expressed pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) is well-known for its cell-protective and immunomodulatory effects. In our actual intervention study, we used an acute campylobacteriosis model and assessed the potential disease-alleviating effects of exogenous PACAP. Therefore, secondary abiotic IL-10−/− mice were perorally infected with C. jejuni and treated with synthetic PACAP38 intraperitoneally from day 2 until day 5 post-infection. Whereas PACAP did not interfere with the gastrointestinal colonization of the pathogen, mice from the PACAP group exhibited less severe clinical signs of C. jejuni-induced disease, as compared to mock controls, which were paralleled by alleviated apoptotic, but enhanced cell proliferative responses in colonic epithelia on day 6 post-infection. Furthermore, PACAP dampened the accumulation of macrophages and monocytes, but enhanced regulatory T cell responses in the colon, which were accompanied by less IFN-γ secretion in intestinal compartments in PACAP versus mock-treated mice. Remarkably, the inflammation-dampening properties of PACAP could also be observed in extra-intestinal organs, and strikingly, even the systemic circulation on day 6 post-infection. For the first time, we provide evidence that synthetic PACAP might be a promising candidate to combat acute campylobacteriosis and post-infectious sequelae.