PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - HASEGAWA, HIROSHI
AU  - YAMASHITA, KIMIHIRO
AU  - OTSUBO, DAI
AU  - KAKEJI, YOSHIHIRO
TI  - Liver Injury After Invariant NKT Cell Activation by Free Alpha-galactosylceramide and Alpha-galactosylceramide-loaded Dendritic Cells
DP  - 2016 Jul 01
TA  - Anticancer Research
PG  - 3667--3672
VI  - 36
IP  - 7
4099  - http://ar.iiarjournals.org/content/36/7/3667.short
4100  - http://ar.iiarjournals.org/content/36/7/3667.full
SO  - Anticancer Res2016 Jul 01; 36
AB  - Background/Aim: Both free alpha-galactosylceramide (αGalCer) and αGalCer-loaded dendritic cells (DCG) activate invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells to varying degrees, with αGalCer inducing liver injury. We sought to evaluate liver injury by these two pathways. Materials and Methods: Mice were injected with αGalCer or DCG followed by analysis of serum alanine transaminase (ALT) activity levels, mortality and liver function. Results: While ALT levels were elevated after DCG in a tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α-dependent manner, DCG did not cause lethal injury. More serious injury of liver CD31-positive endothelial cells (CD31+ EC) was observed in mice treated with αGalCer than with DCG. Furthermore, liver CD31+ EC of αGalCer-treated mice induced naïve liver lymphocytes to produce TNF-α. Conclusion: DCG treatment did not induce lethal liver injury. CD31+ EC may play an antigen-presenting role to iNKT cells after αGalCer treatment and may be a cause of lethal injury.