Division of Clinical Microbiology, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital Huddinge, SE-14186 Stockholm, Sweden.
Mycologia. 2010 May-Jun;102(3):546-51. doi: 10.3852/08-110.
Certain viral and bacterial species play a role in the development of atherosclerosis. Our hypothesis was that yeasts, such as Cryptococcus neoformans, also may be a cause of lipid peroxidation (LPO), which can lead to atherosclerosis. Rabbits were inoculated with heat-killed C neoformans several times during the first 6 wk in 10 wk observation. These tests were done at regular intervals: (i) blood cell count, (ii) the nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT) test on isolated neutrophils to determine their super oxide anion production and (iii) LPO of plasma. The histopathology of the lungs also was evaluated. In the inoculated rabbits we found an increase in the number of neutrophils in blood with an elevated NBT reduction, an increase in lipid peroxidation of plasma and bronchopneumonia with various types of inflammatory cells. Our findings suggest that the ability of C. neoformans to induce LPO in human asymptomatic carriers should be studied. Moreover the cryptococcal rabbit model we use rapidly induces LPO and may be of value in the assessment of therapy for atherosclerosis.
某些病毒和细菌物种在动脉粥样硬化的发展中起作用。我们的假设是，酵母，如新型隐球菌，也可能是脂质过氧化（LPO）的原因，这可能导致动脉粥样硬化。在 10 周的观察期间，兔子在最初的 6 周内多次接种热灭活的新型隐球菌。这些测试定期进行：（i）血细胞计数，（ii）分离的嗜中性粒细胞的硝基蓝四唑（NBT）测试，以确定其超氧化物阴离子的产生，以及（iii）血浆的 LPO。还评估了肺部的组织病理学。在接种的兔子中，我们发现血液中的中性粒细胞数量增加，NBT 还原增加，血浆脂质过氧化增加，并且有各种类型的炎症细胞的支气管肺炎。我们的发现表明，应该研究新型隐球菌在无症状人类携带者中诱导 LPO 的能力。此外，我们使用的隐球菌兔模型可迅速诱导 LPO，并且可能在评估动脉粥样硬化治疗方面具有价值。
