Browsing by Author "Ocana, Jesus A."

Now showing 1 - 8 of 8
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    Acute Ethanol Exposure Augments Low-Dose UVB-Mediated Systemic Immunosuppression via Enhanced Production of Platelet-Activating Factor Receptor Agonists
    (Elsevier, 2019-01-22) Travers, Jeffrey B.; Weyerbacher, Jonathan; Ocana, Jesus A.; Borchers, Christina; Rapp, Christine M.; Sahu, Ravi P.; Dermatology, School of Medicine
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    Chemotherapeutic agents subvert tumor immunity by generating agonists of platelet-activating factor
    (American Association for Cancer Research, 2014-12-01) Sahu, Ravi P.; Ocana, Jesus A.; Harrison, Kathleen A.; Ferracini, Matheus; Touloukian, Christopher E.; Al-Hassani, Mohammed; Sun, Louis; Loesch, Mathew; Murphy, Robert C.; Althouse, Sandra K.; Perkins, Susan M.; Speicher, Paul J.; Tyler, Douglas S.; Konger, Raymond L.; Travers, Jeffrey B.; Department of Dermatology, IU School of Medicine
    Oxidative stress suppresses host immunity by generating oxidized lipid agonists of the platelet-activating factor receptor (PAF-R). Because many classical chemotherapeutic drugs induce reactive oxygen species (ROS), we investigated whether these drugs might subvert host immunity by activating PAF-R. Here, we show that PAF-R agonists are produced in melanoma cells by chemotherapy that is administered in vitro, in vivo, or in human subjects. Structural characterization of the PAF-R agonists induced revealed multiple oxidized glycerophosphocholines that are generated nonenzymatically. In a murine model of melanoma, chemotherapeutic administration could augment tumor growth by a PAF-R-dependent process that could be blocked by treatment with antioxidants or COX-2 inhibitors or by depletion of regulatory T cells. Our findings reveal how PAF-R agonists induced by chemotherapy treatment can promote treatment failure. Furthermore, they offer new insights into how to improve the efficacy of chemotherapy by blocking its heretofore unknown impact on PAF-R activation.
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    Cigarette smoke exposure inhibits contact hypersensitivity via the generation of platelet activating factor agonists
    (Oxford University Press, 2013) Sahu, Ravi P.; Petrache, Irina; Van Demark, Mary J.; Rashid, Badri M.; Ocana, Jesus A.; Tang, Yuxuan; Yi, Qiaofang; Turner, Matthew J.; Konger, Raymond L.; Travers, Jeffrey B.; Dermatology, School of Medicine
    Previous studies have established that pro-oxidative stressors suppress host immunity because of their ability to generate oxidized lipids with platelet-activating factor receptor (PAF-R) agonist activity. Although exposure to the pro-oxidative stressor cigarette smoke (CS) is known to exert immunomodulatory effects, little is known regarding the role of PAF in these events. The current studies sought to determine the role of PAF-R signaling in CS-mediated immunomodulatory effects. We demonstrate that CS exposure induces the generation of a transient PAF-R agonistic activity in the blood of mice. CS exposure inhibits contact hypersensitivity in a PAF-R-dependent manner as PAF-R-deficient mice were resistant to these effects. Blocking PAF-R agonist production either by systemic antioxidants or treatment with serum PAF-acetyl hydrolase enzyme blocked both the CS-mediated generation of PAF-R agonists and PAF-R-dependent inhibition of contact hypersensitivity (CHS) reactions, indicating a role for oxidized glycerophosphocholines with PAF-R agonistic activity in this process. In addition, cyclooxygenase-2 inhibition did not block PAF-R agonist production but prevented CS-induced inhibition of CHS. This suggests that cyclooxygenase-2 acts downstream of the PAF-R in mediating CS-induced systemic immunosuppression. Moreover, CS exposure induced a significant increase in the expression of the regulatory T cell reporter gene in Foxp3(EGFP) mice but not in Foxp3(EGFP) mice on a PAF-R-deficient background. Finally, regulatory T cell depletion via anti-CD25 Abs blocked CS-mediated inhibition of CHS, indicating the potential involvement of regulatory T cells in CS-mediated systemic immunosuppression. These studies provide the first evidence, to our knowledge, that the pro-oxidative stressor CS can modulate cutaneous immunity via the generation of PAF-R agonists produced through lipid oxidation.
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    Enhanced Platelet-activating Factor synthesis facilitates acute and delayed effects of ethanol intoxicated thermal burn injury
    (Elsevier, 2018) Harrison, Kathleen A.; Romer, Eric; Weyerbacher, Jonathan; Ocana, Jesus A.; Sahu, Ravi P.; Murphy, Robert C.; Kelly, Lisa E.; Smith, Townsend A.; Rapp, Christine M.; Borchers, Christina; Cool, David R.; Li, Gengxin; Simman, Richard; Travers, Jeffrey B.; Pharmacology and Toxicology, School of Medicine
    Thermal burn injuries in patients alcohol intoxicated result in greater morbidity and mortality. Murine models combining ethanol and localized thermal burn injury reproduce the systemic toxicity seen in human subjects, which consists of both acute systemic cytokine production with multiple organ dysfunction, as well as a delayed systemic immunosuppression. However, the exact mechanisms for these acute and delayed effects are unclear. These studies sought to define the role of the lipid mediator Platelet-activating factor (PAF) in the acute and delayed effects of intoxicated burn injury. Combining ethanol and thermal burn injury resulted in increased enzymatic PAF generation in a keratinocyte cell line in vitro, human skin explants ex vivo, as well as in murine skin in vivo. Further, the acute increase in inflammatory cytokines such as IL-6, and the systemic immunosuppressive effects of intoxicated thermal burn injury, were suppressed in mice lacking PAF receptors. Together, these studies provide a potential mechanism and novel treatment strategies for the augmented toxicity and immunosuppressive effects of thermal burn injury in the setting of acute ethanol exposure, which involves the pleotropic lipid mediator PAF.
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    Epidermal PPARγ influences subcutaneous tumor growth and acts through TNF-α to regulate contact hypersensitivity and the acute photoresponse
    (Impact Journals, 2017-09-18) Konger, Raymond L.; Derr-Yellin, Ethel; Travers, Jeffrey B.; Ocana, Jesus A.; Sahu, Ravi P.; Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, School of Medicine
    It is known that ultraviolet B (UVB) induces PPARγ ligand formation while loss of murine epidermal PPARγ (Pparg-/-epi) promotes UVB-induced apoptosis, inflammation, and carcinogenesis. PPARγ is known to suppress tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) production. TNF-α is also known to promote UVB-induced inflammation, apoptosis, and immunosuppression. We show that Pparg-/-epi mice exhibit increased baseline TNF-α expression. Neutralizing Abs to TNF-α block the increased photo-inflammation and photo-toxicity that is observed in Pparg-/-epi mouse skin. Interestingly, the increase in UVB-induced apoptosis in Pparg-/-epi mice is not accompanied by a change in cyclobutane pyrimidine dimer clearance or in mutation burden. This suggests that loss of epidermal PPARγ does not result in a significant alteration in DNA repair capacity. However, loss of epidermal PPARγ results in marked immunosuppression using a contact hypersensitivity (CHS) model. This impaired CHS response was significantly alleviated using neutralizing TNF-α antibodies or loss of germline Tnf. In addition, the PPARγ agonist rosiglitazone reversed UVB-induced systemic immunosuppression (UV-IS) as well as UV-induced growth of B16F10 melanoma tumor cells in syngeneic mice. Finally, increased B16F10 tumor growth was observed when injected subcutaneously into Pparg-/-epi mice. Thus, we provide novel evidence that epidermal PPARγ is important for cutaneous immune function and the acute photoresponse.
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    Platelet-Activating Factor-Induced Reduction in Contact Hypersensitivity Responses Is Mediated by Mast Cells via Cyclooxygenase-2-Dependent Mechanisms
    (American Association of Immunologists, 2018-06-15) Ocana, Jesus A.; Romer, Eric; Sahu, Ravi; Pawelzik, Sven-Christian; FitzGerald, Garret A.; Kaplan, Mark H.; Travers, Jeffrey B.; Pharmacology and Toxicology, School of Medicine
    Platelet-activating factor (PAF) stimulates numerous cell types via activation of the G protein-coupled PAF receptor (PAFR). PAFR activation not only induces acute proinflammatory responses, but it also induces delayed systemic immunosuppressive effects by modulating host immunity. Although enzymatic synthesis and degradation of PAF are tightly regulated, oxidative stressors, such as UVB, chemotherapy, and cigarette smoke, can generate PAF and PAF-like molecules in an unregulated fashion via the oxidation of membrane phospholipids. Recent studies have demonstrated the relevance of the mast cell (MC) PAFR in PAFR-induced systemic immunosuppression. The current study was designed to determine the exact mechanisms and mediators involved in MC PAFR-mediated systemic immunosuppression. By using a contact hypersensitivity model, the MC PAFR was not only found to be necessary, but also sufficient to mediate the immunosuppressive effects of systemic PAF. Furthermore, activation of the MC PAFR induces MC-derived histamine and PGE2 release. Importantly, PAFR-mediated systemic immunosuppression was defective in mice that lacked MCs, or in MC-deficient mice transplanted with histidine decarboxylase- or cyclooxygenase-2-deficient MCs. Lastly, it was found that PGs could modulate MC migration to draining lymph nodes. These results support the hypothesis that MC PAFR activation promotes the immunosuppressive effects of PAF in part through histamine- and PGE2-dependent mechanisms.
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    Topical Application of a Platelet Activating Factor Receptor Agonist Suppresses Phorbol Ester-Induced Acute and Chronic Inflammation and Has Cancer Chemopreventive Activity in Mouse Skin
    (PLoS, 2014-11) Sahu, Ravi P.; Rezania, Samin; Ocana, Jesus A.; DaSilva-Arnold, Sonia C.; Bradish, Joshua R.; Richey, Justin D.; Warren, Simon J.; Rashid, Badri; Travers, Jeffrey B.; Konger, Raymond L.; Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, IU School of Medicine
    Platelet activating factor (PAF) has long been associated with acute edema and inflammatory responses. PAF acts by binding to a specific G-protein coupled receptor (PAF-R, Ptafr). However, the role of chronic PAF-R activation on sustained inflammatory responses has been largely ignored. We recently demonstrated that mice lacking the PAF-R (Ptafr-/- mice) exhibit increased cutaneous tumorigenesis in response to a two-stage chemical carcinogenesis protocol. Ptafr-/- mice also exhibited increased chronic inflammation in response to phorbol ester application. In this present study, we demonstrate that topical application of the non-hydrolysable PAF mimetic (carbamoyl-PAF (CPAF)), exerts a potent, dose-dependent, and short-lived edema response in WT mice, but not Ptafr -/- mice or mice deficient in c-Kit (c-KitW-sh/W-sh mice). Using an ear inflammation model, co-administration of topical CPAF treatment resulted in a paradoxical decrease in both acute ear thickness changes associated with a single PMA application, as well as the sustained inflammation associated with chronic repetitive PMA applications. Moreover, mice treated topically with CPAF also exhibited a significant reduction in chemical carcinogenesis. The ability of CPAF to suppress acute and chronic inflammatory changes in response to PMA application(s) was PAF-R dependent, as CPAF had no effect on basal or PMA-induced inflammation in Ptafr-/- mice. Moreover, c-Kit appears to be necessary for the anti-inflammatory effects of CPAF, as CPAF had no observable effect in c-KitW-sh/W-sh mice. These data provide additional evidence that PAF-R activation exerts complex immunomodulatory effects in a model of chronic inflammation that is relevant to neoplastic development.
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    Treatment of estrogen-induced dermatitis with omalizumab
    (Elsevier, 2019-05-25) Ocana, Jesus A.; Bell, Maria C.; Heskett, Jordan B.; Baker, William H.; Mousdicas, Nico; Turner, Matthew J.; Dermatology, IU School of Medicine
    In 1945, Drs Bernhard Zondek and Yehuda Bromberg demonstrated intradermal treatment with estrone and estradiol benzoate induced urticarial lesions in some patients.1 Fifty years later, Shelley et al,2 who introduced the concept of progesterone dermatitis several decades prior, defined estrogen dermatitis based on studies of 7 women with premenstrual flares of skin eruptions including papulovesicular, urticarial, or eczematous lesions or generalized pruritus. Previously described therapies for estrogen dermatitis include estrogen desensitization, tamoxifen, leuprolide, and oophorectomy.3 Here we report a case of estrogen-induced dermatitis successfully treated with omalizumab.