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Introduction: For a successful pregnancy, a set of physiological requirements has to be fulfilled. The mother has to provide enough nutrients and the proper anatomical environment for the developing fetus and protect him and herself against pathogens. The cells of the im-mune system constantly monitor the organism in search for pathogens and mount a response to eradicate the threat. The favourable outcome of an immune response re-lays on the capacity of those cells to recognize structures that shouldn’t be present in the organism and the speed or strength at which the cells react. During pregnancy, however, a fetus is able to establish a firm contact with the endometrium of the mother and then grow for an extended period of time. This “exception to the rule” hides behind a set of fine-tuned regulations of the immune responses which are not completely un-derstood. Though many cell types have been extensively investigated in the past dec-ades, B cells play yet enigmatic roles. The aim of this work is to uncover the events occurring within the B cell development during pregnancy and to study the role of certain subtypes in healthy pregnancy and pregnancy miscarriage. Methods: For all experiments, 8-weeks-old female mice either non-pregnant, having normal preg-nancies or miscarriage were used. Organs were removed and cells isolated using standard protocols. The analysis of the population distribution was performed by Flow Cytometry. For in vitro experiments, specific cell subsets were isolated using MACS Cell Separation. Bio-plex method was used for the assessment of Immunoglobulin isotypes in serum, while CBA Array was the method used to measure cytokine levels in the supernatant of cell cultures. Statistical analysis was done using GraphPad Prism software. Results: Pregnancy had a strong impact on the murine B cell development. The restructuration of the B cell compartment could be appreciated already from the bone marrow progeni-tors, reduced in pregnant mice. Peripheral subsets drastically adapted their develop-mental pathways, with a drift towards the generation of marginal zone B cells. B cells also showed functional adaptations to gravidity, as evidenced by the changes in the immunoglobulin production and immunomodulatory capacity. Conclusions: For the first time a deep investigation of the consequences of pregnancy on the B cell development was performed, covering several aspects of B cell functionality. This work shows that B lymphocyte compartment is remodelled during pregnancy. Aberration of this process may lead to pregnancy complications including miscarriage.
Die Parodontitis gehört zu den häufigsten Erkrankungen des Menschen. Als Reaktion des Immunsystems auf die bakterielle Besiedlung der Mundhöhle mit parodontal-pathogenen Mikroorganismen, kommt es zur Zerstörung des Parodontiums. Das Gram-negative Bakterium A. actinomycetemcomitans (A.a.)wird dabei als Haupterreger der Parodontitis beschrieben. Ziel der vorliegenden Arbeit war die Charakterisierung einer experimentell-induzierten Parodontitis in der Maus. Es wurden C57BL/6J-Wildtyp-Mäuse, iNOS-KO- und gp91-phox-KO-Mäuse oral mit A.a. infiziert. Fünf Wochen nach Ende der Infektionen konnte signifikant Knochenabbau sowohl morphometrisch als auch volumetrisch mittels Computertomografie in gp91-phox-KO-Mäusen, verglichen mit infizierten C57BL/6J-Wildtyp-, infizierten iNOS-KO-Mäusen und den Kontrollen, nachgewiesen werden. Unterschiede in der Kolonisationsdauer von A.a. in den verschiedenen Mausstämmen zu verschiedenen Zeitpunkten konnten zwischen den drei Untersuchungsgruppen festgestellt werden. Mit 38 Tagen nach Ende der Infektionen konnte A.a. in gp91-phox-KO-Mäusen am längsten nachgewiesen werden. Eine Korrelation zwischen Kolonisationsdauer von A.a. und parodontalem Knochenabbau konnte in gp91-phox-KO-Mäusen signifikant, im Vergleich zu infizierten iNOS-KO- und Wildtyp-Mäusen sowie den Kontrollgruppen, belegt werden. Die Ergebnisse lassen vermuten, dass die NADPH-Oxidase der polymorphkernigen neutrophilen Granulozyten oder Makrophagen bedeutend für die Abwehr von A.a. ist und somit vor der Ausbildung einer Parodontitis schützt.
Growth, ageing and atherosclerotic plaque development alter the biomechanical forces acting on the vessel wall. However, monitoring the detailed local changes in wall shear stress (WSS) at distinct sites of the murine aortic arch over time has been challenging. Here, we studied the temporal and spatial changes in flow, WSS, oscillatory shear index (OSI) and elastic properties of healthy wildtype (WT, n = 5) and atherosclerotic apolipoprotein E-deficient (Apoe−/−, n = 6) mice during ageing and atherosclerosis using high-resolution 4D flow magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Spatially resolved 2D projection maps of WSS and OSI of the complete aortic arch were generated, allowing the pixel-wise statistical analysis of inter- and intragroup hemodynamic changes over time and local correlations between WSS, pulse wave velocity (PWV), plaque and vessel wall characteristics. The study revealed converse differences of local hemodynamic profiles in healthy WT and atherosclerotic Apoe−/− mice, and we identified the circumferential WSS as potential marker of plaque size and composition in advanced atherosclerosis and the radial strain as a potential marker for vascular elasticity. Two-dimensional (2D) projection maps of WSS and OSI, including statistical analysis provide a powerful tool to monitor local aortic hemodynamics during ageing and atherosclerosis. The correlation of spatially resolved hemodynamics and plaque characteristics could significantly improve our understanding of the impact of hemodynamics on atherosclerosis, which may be key to understand plaque progression towards vulnerability.