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      Digoxin Inhibits Induction of Experimental Autoimmune Uveitis in Mice, but Causes Severe Retinal Degeneration

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          Abstract

          Purpose

          Digoxin, a major medication for heart disease, was recently reported to have immunosuppressive capacity. Here, we determined the immunosuppressive capacity of digoxin on the development of experimental autoimmune uveitis (EAU) and on related immune responses.

          Methods

          The B10.A mice were immunized with interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding protein (IRBP) and were treated daily with digoxin or vehicle control. On postimmunization day 14, the mouse eyes were examined histologically, while spleen cells were tested for cytokine production in response to IRBP and purified protein derivative. The immunosuppressive activity of digoxin was also tested in vitro, by its capacity to inhibit development of Th1 or Th17 cells. To investigate the degenerative effect of digoxin on the retina, naïve (FVB/N × B10.BR)F1 mice were similarly treated with digoxin and tested histologically and by ERG.

          Results

          Treatment with digoxin inhibited the development of EAU, as well as the cellular response to IRBP. Unexpectedly, treatment with digoxin suppressed the production of interferon-γ to a larger extent than the production of interleukin 17. Importantly, digoxin treatment induced severe retinal degeneration, determined by histologic analysis with thinning across all layers of the retina. Digoxin treatment also induced dose-dependent vision loss monitored by ERG on naïve mice without induction of EAU.

          Conclusions

          Treatment of mice with digoxin inhibited the development of EAU and cellular immune response to IRBP. However, the treatment induced severe damage to the retina. Thus, the use of digoxin in humans should be avoided due to its toxicity to the retina.

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          Most cited references29

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          ACC/AHA 2005 Guideline Update for the Diagnosis and Management of Chronic Heart Failure in the Adult: a report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines (Writing Committee to Update the 2001 Guidelines for the Evaluation and Management of Heart Failure): developed in collaboration with the American College of Chest Physicians and the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation: endorsed by the Heart Rhythm Society.

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            Th17 cells give rise to Th1 cells that are required for the pathogenesis of colitis.

            Th17 cells reactive to the enteric microbiota are central to the pathogenesis of certain types of inflammatory bowel disease. However, Th17 cells display substantial developmental plasticity, such that some progeny of Th17 cell precursors retain a predominantly IL-17A(+) phenotype, whereas others extinguish IL-17 expression and acquire expression of IFN-γ, giving rise to "Th1-like" cells. It remains unclear what role these subsets play in inflammatory bowel disease. Using a Th17 transfer model of colitis, we found that IFN-γ-deficient Th17 cells retained an IL-17A(+) phenotype and were unable to induce colitis in recipients. Development of disease required the transition of a subset of Th17 precursors to Th1-like cells and was contingent on the expression of both Stat4 and T-bet, but not the IL-12 or IFN-γ receptors. Moreover, Th17 cells could provide "help" for the development of pathogenic Th1 cells from naïve precursors. These results indicate that Th17 cells are potent mediators of colitis pathogenesis by dual mechanisms: by directly transitioning to Th1-like cells and by supporting the development of classic Th1 cells.
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              Essentials of Th17 cell commitment and plasticity.

              CD4(+) T helper (Th) cells exist in a variety of epigenetic states that determine their function, phenotype, and capacity for persistence. These polarization states include Th1, Th2, Th17, and Foxp3(+) T regulatory cells, as well as the more recently described T follicular helper, Th9, and Th22 cells. Th17 cells express the master transcriptional regulator retinoic acid-related orphan receptor γ thymus and produce canonical interleukin (IL)-17A and IL-17F cytokines. Th17 cells display a great degree of context-dependent plasticity, as they are capable of acquiring functional characteristics of Th1 cells. This late plasticity may contribute to the protection against microbes, plays a role in the development of autoimmunity, and is necessary for antitumor activity of Th17 cells in adoptive cell transfer therapy models. Moreover, plasticity of this subset is associated with higher in vivo survival and self-renewal capacity and less senescence than Th1 polarized cells, which have less plasticity and more phenotypic stability. New findings indicate that subset polarization of CD4(+) T cells not only induces characteristic patterns of surface markers and cytokine production but also has a maturational aspect that affects a cell's ability to survive, respond to secondary stimulation, and form long-term immune memory.
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                Author and article information

                Journal
                Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci
                Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci
                iovs
                iovs
                iovs
                Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science
                The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology
                0146-0404
                1552-5783
                30 March 2016
                March 2016
                : 57
                : 3
                : 1441-1447
                Affiliations
                [1 ]Laboratory of Immunology National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States
                [2 ]Visual Function Core, National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States
                Author notes
                Correspondence: Igal Gery, Laboratory of Immunology, National Eye Institute, NIH, Building 10, Room 10N208, Bethesda, MD 20892-1857, USA; geryi@ 123456nei.nih.gov .

                SJHH and OO contributed equally to the work presented here and should therefore be regarded as equivalent authors.

                Article
                iovs-57-03-31 IOVS-15-19040
                10.1167/iovs.15-19040
                4821074
                27028065
                93a2925b-49d2-4bd4-bc96-3f93482dd409

                This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

                History
                : 28 December 2015
                : 24 February 2016
                Categories
                Immunology and Microbiology

                experimental autoimmune uveitis,digoxin,retinal degeneration

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