ANG II ‐CCR2/5 axis dependent monocyte/macrophage recruitment contributed to experimental autoimmune myocarditis progression

ABSTRACT Angiotensin II (ANG II) plays critical roles in modulation of circulatory homeostasis and activation of innate and adaptive immunity. Furthermore, ANG II has also been implicated in several mouse models of autoimmune disease. However, it remains incompletely clear how ANG II regulates macrophage and involves in experimental autoimmune myocarditis (EAM) development. Therefore, the present work was to address the above question and to explore the possible mechanism. The BALB/c mice were used to induce EAM model. ANG II levels were detected by ELISA; HE staining was employed to analyze the pathological changes and macrophage infiltration. The chemotactic ability of ANG II was assessed by transwell system. Our results showed that ANG II was up‐regulated in serum and heart tissues of EAM models and ANG II significantly drove monocyte/macrophage infiltration through C‐C chemokine receptor 2/5 (CCR2/5) axis. CCR2/5 antagonists and ANG II receptor inhibitor all could abrogate monocyte/macrophage infiltration and ameliorate EAM development. Our results firstly addressed a novel function of ANG II: ANG II is a critical chemokine for monocyte/macrophage recruitment; furthermore, our results also indicated that ANG II might be a potential therapy target of inflammatory diseases.
Source: Microbiology and Immunology - Category: Microbiology Authors: Tags: Original Article Source Type: research