Abstract

Objective. To assess the functional roles of plasmin in a murine model of Staphylococcus aureus-induced bacterial arthritis.Methods. Bacterial arthritis was induced in plasminogen-deficient (Plg(-/-)) and wild-type (Plg(+/+)) littermates by local injection of 1 x 10(6) colony-forming units of S aureus into the knee joints. Human plasminogen was administered to Plg(-/-) mice on days 0-7 or days 7-14. Antibiotic treatment was administered to Plg(-/-) mice on days 7-14. Bacteria counts and histologic, immunohistochemical, and Western blot analyses were performed.Results. In Plg(+/+) mice, S aureus counts had declined within 2 days, and by day 28 the bacteria had been completely eliminated. However, S aureus was still detectable in all injected joints from Plg(-/-) mice, and bacteria counts were 27 times higher than the amount injected on day 0. The extent of macrophage and neutrophil recruitment to the infected joints was comparable for Plg(+/+) and Plg(-/-) mice on days 1, 7, and 14. The activation of these inflammatory cells appeared to be impaired in Plg(-/-) mice, however. Treatment of Plg-mice with antibiotic (cloxacillin) resulted in successful killing of the bacteria, but the necrotic tissue remained in the infected joints. When human plasminogen was given intravenously to Plg(-/-) mice daily for 7 days, bacterial clearance was greatly improved as compared with their untreated counterparts, and the amount of necrotic tissue in the joint cavity was dramatically reduced. The expression of interleukin 6 (IL-6) and IL-10 was higher in Plg(+/+) mice than in Plg(-/-) mice during bacterial arthritis.Conclusion. Our findings indicate that plasmin plays a pluripotent role in protecting against S aureus-induced arthritis by activating inflammatory cells, killing bacteria, removing necrotic tissue, and enhancing cytokine expression.

Published in

Arthritis and Rheumatology
2008, Volume: 58, number: 3, pages: 764-772

UKÄ Subject classification

Immunology


Publication identifier

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/art.23263

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/85855