Inhibition of monosodium urate monohydrate crystal-induced acute inflammation by retrovirally transfected prostaglandin D synthase.

OBJECTIVE: Hematopoietic prostaglandin D synthase (H-PGDS) is a key enzyme in the production of prostaglandin D and its J series metabolites. We evaluated the antiinflammatory effect of retrovirally transfected H-PGDS in order to investigate the role of H-PGDS in monosodium urate monohydrate (MSU) crystal-induced acute inflammation.

METHODS: Expression of endogenous PGDS in a murine air-pouch model of MSU crystal-induced acute inflammation was determined by real-time polymerase chain reaction. H-PGDS complementary DNA (cDNA) was retrovirally transfected into C57BL/6J fibroblasts, and the cells were designated as C57-PGDS cells. Production of prostaglandins by C57-PGDS cells was measured by enzyme immunoassay. The effect of C57-PGDS cells on crystal-induced inflammation was investigated.

RESULTS: Injection of the crystals caused a rapid decrease in H-PGDS expression by infiltrating cells and by the soft tissues around the air pouches. In contrast, expression of interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) and macrophage inflammatory protein 2 (MIP-2) as well as cellular infiltration were significantly increased during the early stage of inflammation. C57-PGDS cells, but not control cells, produced an increased amount of PGD(2) in vitro, but suppressed production of PGE(2). Injection of C57-PGDS cells into air pouches inhibited cellular infiltration and MIP-2 and IL-1beta expression.

CONCLUSION: In this murine air-pouch model of MSU crystal-induced inflammation, retrovirally transfected H-PGDS cDNA could reduce cellular infiltration, at least partly by inhibiting MIP-2 and IL-1beta. These findings suggest that gene therapy with H-PGDS may be useful for treating inflammatory diseases.