Pig IαI appears unmodified in plasma in case of endotoxin-induced disseminated intravascular coagulation

• Published in: Biochimie 1997-12, Vol.79 (12), p.749-755
• Main Authors: Carrette, O., Mizon, C., Balduyck, M., Jourdain, M., Fourier, F., Mizon, J.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Alpha-Globulins - drug effects; Alpha-Globulins - immunology; Alpha-Globulins - metabolism; Animals; Disease Models, Animal; disseminated intravascular coagulation; Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation - blood; Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation - etiology; Endotoxins - administration & dosage; Female; Humans; Infusions, Intravenous; inter-α-inhibitor; leukocyte elastase; Neutrophil Activation - drug effects; Neutrophils - enzymology; Pancreatic Elastase - blood; proteinases; septic shock; Swine
• ISSN: 0300-9084; 1638-6183
• DOI: 10.1016/S0300-9084(97)86933-7

The unrestricted activity of leukocyte proteinases is thought to contribute to the degradation of plasma proteins and thus amplify the coagulation disorders occurring in septic shock. Inter-α-inhibitor (IαI) is a plasma protein particularly susceptible to their action. Therefore we investigated its behavior in a procine model of endotoxin shock which reproduces the coagulation changes observed in human sepsis. We did not detect any qualitative or quantitative modification of porcine IαI in plasmas collected from pigs after endotoxin infusion. To explain these data. IαI was incubated with polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN) stimulated by FMLP in the presence of cytochalasin B. We found that, unlike human PMN, procine cells were unable to proteolyze IαI. Moreover, in the incubation medium of pig PMN, triggered either by FMLP or PMA, no measurable elastase activity was evidenced. Therefore, we urge to better take into account species differences in functional responses of PMN, to explain the experimental results obtained in animal models of septic shock.