Borenstein L A, Ganz T, Sell S, Lehrer R I, Miller J N
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of California, Los Angeles 90024.
Infect Immun. 1991 Apr;59(4):1368-77. doi: 10.1128/iai.59.4.1368-1377.1991.
In the companion paper (L. A. Borenstein, M. E. Selsted, R. I. Lehrer, and J. N. Miller, Infect. Immun. 59:1359-1367, 1991), we report that rabbit alveolar macrophage and neutrophil derived defensins possess antimicrobial activity against Treponema pallidum subsp. pallidum, the etiologic agent of syphilis. In this study, antisera specific for NP-1 and NP-2 (defensins present in certain macrophages and polymorphonuclear leukocytes) and NP-5 (a defensin produced only in neutrophils) were used to detect these peptides by immunoperoxidase staining in testicular lesions from infected rabbits. Profound amounts of cell-free and cell-associated defensins were detected in the tunica albuginea and interstitial spaces during the first 24 h of infection. The presence of defensins was transient and almost undetectable by day 4. Interstitial defensins were detected again at day 10 and increased through day 16, at which time lesion healing was evident by hematoxylin and eosin staining. The appearance and increase in detectable defensins between days 10 and 16 of infection correlated with a reduction in numbers and disappearance of T. pallidum, as demonstrated by using silver staining. The extent and pattern of immunostaining for NP-1 and NP-2 corresponded with immunostaining for NP-5 and identified neutrophils as the cellular source of the defensins. These findings indicate that defensins may contribute to the control of local T. pallidum infection and suggest a role for acute inflammatory processes in the resolution of early experimental syphilis.
在配套论文中（L. A. 博伦斯坦、M. E. 塞尔斯特德、R. I. 莱勒和J. N. 米勒，《感染与免疫》59:1359 - 1367，1991年），我们报告称，兔肺泡巨噬细胞和中性粒细胞衍生的防御素对梅毒螺旋体苍白亚种具有抗菌活性，梅毒螺旋体苍白亚种是梅毒的病原体。在本研究中，针对NP - 1和NP - 2（存在于某些巨噬细胞和多形核白细胞中的防御素）以及NP - 5（仅在中性粒细胞中产生的一种防御素）的抗血清，通过免疫过氧化物酶染色用于检测感染兔睾丸病变中的这些肽。在感染的最初24小时内，在白膜和间质间隙中检测到大量游离和细胞相关的防御素。防御素的存在是短暂的，到第4天时几乎检测不到。在第10天再次检测到间质防御素，并在第16天增加，此时苏木精和伊红染色显示病变愈合明显。如银染色所示，感染第10天至16天可检测到的防御素的出现和增加与梅毒螺旋体数量的减少和消失相关。NP - 1和NP - 2的免疫染色范围和模式与NP - 5的免疫染色相对应，并确定中性粒细胞为防御素的细胞来源。这些发现表明防御素可能有助于控制局部梅毒螺旋体感染，并提示急性炎症过程在早期实验性梅毒消退中发挥作用。
