NEUTROPHIL EXTRACELLULAR TRAPS IN PRIMARY INFLUENZA PNEUMONIA AND SECONDARY PNEUMOCOCCAL PNEUMONIA

Abstract

NEUTROPHILS RELEASE CHROMATIN FIBERS INTO THE EXTRACELLULAR SPACE UPON ACTIVATION BY CERTAIN STIMULI VIA AN OXIDATIVE PROCESS. STRUCTURES KNOWN AS NEUTROPHIL EXTRACELLULAR TRAPS (NETS) ARE EMBEDDED WITH HISTONES AND OTHER NEUTROPHIL GRANULE PROTEINS, AND CAN ENTRAP AND KILL A WIDE RANGE OF MICRO-ORGANISMS. SINCE THEIR DISCOVERY, NETS HAVE BEEN IMPLICATED IN VARIOUS CONDITIONS INCLUDING SEVERE INFLUENZA PNEUMONIA WHERE NETS ARE EXTENSIVELY INDUCED IN THE LUNGS OF MICE INFECTED WITH INFLUENZA A VIRUS. MURINE MODELS WERE EMPLOYED TO ANALYZE THE EXTENT OF NETS FORMATION DURING PRIMARY INFLUENZA PNEUMONIA AND SECONDARY PNEUMOCOCCAL PNEUMONIA. GIVEN THAT OBESITY CONFERS GREATER SUSCEPTIBILITY TO INFLUENZA-RELATED COMPLICATIONS, NETS FORMATION WAS ALSO CHARACTERIZED IN THE LUNGS OF INFLUENZA-INFECTED MICE FED WITH A HIGH-FAT DIET TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECT OF ADIPOSITY ON NETS FORMATION. NETOSIS IS AN OXIDATIVE PROCESS, AND NETS CAN INFLICT DAMAGE TO SURROUNDING TISSUES. THE EFFECTS OF CHEMICA