Sidney Vue
Pronouns: She/Her
Research Mentor(s): Joseph Decker
Research Mentor School/College/Department: Cariology, Restorative Sciences, and Endodontics / Dentistry
Program: UROPF
Session: Session 3 (11:00am – 11:50am)
Authors:
Abstract
Chronic inflammation can induce trained innate immunity, in which innate immune cells are hyperresponsive to normal stimuli. Our research is looking to find how biomaterial technologies may affect the intracellular networks that underlie trained innate immunity. We hypothesized that microporous polymeric scaffolds that are commonly used for cell transplantation may have an effect on trained innate immunity. Microporous poly (e-caprolactone) (PCL) scaffolds were fabricated using published techniques and implanted into the subcutaneous space of C57BL/6j mice. Mice who received a sham surgery were used as a control. Bone marrow and spleen cells were collected from both groups of mice. The cells were characterized through flow cytometry to compare the immune cell populations and activated using toll-like receptor agonists to compare secretion of inflammatory cytokines. No significant difference in immune cell populations were observed in the spleen or hematopoietic stem cell populations in the bone marrow between scaffold implanted and sham surgery mice. Despite having similar immune compositions, activation of the splenocytes with toll-like receptor agonists resulted in increased cytokine expression from immune cells from mice who received a scaffold implant. Activation with the TLR2 receptor agonists Pam3CSK4 and heat-killed Listeria monocytogenes resulted in elevated expression of IL-6, TNFa, and IFN? as measured by ELISA. Interesting, activation with other TLR agonists such as LPS from E. coli (TLR4) or Flagellin from S. Typhimurium (TLR6) did not induce different levels of cytokine expression, suggesting that this phenomenon may be specific to TLR2 signaling. These results suggest PCL scaffolds may alter immune functional phenotypes without changing overall immune populations.
