Journal Article

Xen10, Xen 10, Streptococcus pnuemoniae Xen10, IVIS,

Background & objectives: In vivo imaging system has contributed significantly to the understanding of bacterial infection and efficacy of drugs in animal model. We report five rapid, reproducible, and non invasive murine pulmonary infection, skin and soft tissue infection, sepsis, and meningitis models using Xenogen bioluminescent strains and specialized in vivo imaging system (IVIS). Methods: The progression of bacterial infection in different target organs was evaluated by the photon intensity and target organ bacterial counts. Genetically engineered bioluminescent bacterial strains viz. Staphylococcus aureus Xen 8.1, 29 and 31; Streptococcus pneumoniae Xen 9 and 10 and Pseudomonas aeruginosa Xen-5 were used to induce different target organs infection and were validated with commercially available antibiotics. Results: The lower limit of detection of colony forming unit (cfu) was 1.7-log10 whereas the lower limit of detection of relative light unit (RLU) was 4.2-log10 . Recovery of live bacteria from different target organs showed that the bioluminescent signal correlated to the live bacterial count. Interpretation & conclusions: This study demonstrated the real time monitoring and non-invasive analysis of progression of infection and pharmacological efficacy of drugs. These models may be useful for pre-clinical discovery of new antibiotics.

Journal Article

Xen10, Xen 10, Streptococcus pneumoniae Xen10, IVIS

Although the essential role of cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 in fracture healing is known, the targeted genes and molecular pathways remain unclear. Using prostaglandin E2 receptor (EP)2 and EP4 agonists, we examined the effects of EP receptor activation in compensation for the lack of COX-2 during fracture healing. In a fracture-healing model, COX-2-/- mice showed delayed initiation and impaired endochondral bone repair, accompanied by a severe angiogenesis deficiency. The EP4 agonist markedly improved the impaired healing in COX-2-/- mice, as evidenced by restoration of bony callus formation on day 14, a near complete reversal of bone formation, and an approximately 70% improvement of angiogenesis in the COX-2-/- callus. In comparison, the EP2 agonist only marginally enhanced bone formation in COX-2-/- mice. To determine the differential roles of EP2 and EP4 receptors on COX-2-mediated fracture repair, the effects of selective EP agonists on chondrogenesis were examined in E11.5 long-term limb bud micromass cultures. Only the EP4 agonist significantly increased cartilage nodule formation similar to that observed during prostaglandin E2 treatment. The prostaglandin E2/EP4 agonist also stimulated MMP-9 expression in bone marrow stromal cell cultures. The EP4 agonist further restored the reduction of MMP-9 expression in the COX-2-/- fracture callus. Taken together, our studies demonstrate that EP2 and EP4 have differential functions during endochondral bone repair. Activation of EP4, but not EP2 rescued impaired bone fracture healing in COX-2-/- mice.

Journal Article

Xen36, Xen 36, Staphylococcus aureus Xen36, IVIS, Animals; Arthroplasty; Biofilms/growth & development; Bone Wires/microbiology; Interleukin-1beta/*metabolism; Male; Mice; Mice, Congenic; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Myeloid Differentiation Factor 88/metabolism; Neutrophil Infiltration; Prosthesis-Related Infections/*immunology/metabolism; Staphylococcal Infections/*immunology/metabolism; Staphylococcus aureus; Toll-Like Receptor 2/*metabolism

MyD88 is an adapter molecule that is used by both IL-1R and TLR family members to initiate downstream signaling and promote immune responses. Given that IL-1beta is induced after Staphylococcus aureus infections and TLR2 is activated by S. aureus lipopeptides, we hypothesized that IL-1beta and TLR2 contribute to MyD88-dependent protective immune responses against post-arthroplasty S. aureus infections. To test this hypothesis, we used a mouse model of a post-arthroplasty S. aureus infection to compare the bacterial burden, biofilm formation and neutrophil recruitment in IL-1beta-deficient, TLR2-deficient and wild-type (wt) mice. By using in vivo bioluminescence imaging, we found that the bacterial burden in IL-1beta-deficient mice was 26-fold higher at 1 day after infection and remained 3- to 10-fold greater than wt mice through day 42. In contrast, the bacterial burden in TLR2-deficient mice did not differ from wt mice. In addition, implants harvested from IL-1beta-deficient mice had more biofilm formation and 14-fold higher adherent bacteria compared with those from wt mice. Finally, IL-1beta-deficient mice had approximately 50% decreased neutrophil recruitment to the infected postoperative joints than wt mice. Taken together, these findings suggest a mechanism by which IL-1beta induces neutrophil recruitment to help control the bacterial burden and the ensuing biofilm formation in a post-surgical joint.

Journal Article

Xen36, Xen 36, Staphylococcus aureus Xen36, IVIS

Wear of metal-on-metal (cobalt-chromium, Co-Cr particles) and metal-on-polyethylene (ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene, UHMWPE particles) bearing surfaces in hip prostheses is a major problem in orthopedics. This study aimed to compare the influence of Co-Cr and UHMWPE particles on the persistence of infection. Bioluminescent Staphylococcus aureus Xen36 were injected in air pouches prepared in subcutaneous tissue of immuno-competent BALB/c mice (control), as a model for the joint space, in the absence or presence of Co-Cr or UHMWPE particles. Bioluminescence was monitored longitudinally up to 21 days, corrected for absorption and reflection by the particles and expressed relative to the bioluminescence found in the presence of staphylococci only. After termination, air pouch fluid and air pouch membrane were cultured and histologically analyzed. Bioluminescence was initially lower in mice exposed to UHMWPE particles with staphylococci than in mice injected with staphylococci only, possibly because UHMWPE particles initially stimulated a higher macrophage presence in murine air pouch membranes. For mice exposed to Co-Cr particles with staphylococci, bioluminescence was observed to be higher in two out of six animals compared to the presence of staphylococci alone. In the majority of mice, infection risk in the absence or presence of Co-Cr and UHMWPE particles appeared similar, assuming that the longevity of an elevated bioluminescence is indicative of a higher infection risk. However, the presence of Co-Cr particles yielded a higher bioluminescence in two out of six mice, possibly because the macrophage degradative function was hampered by the presence of Co-Cr particles. (c) 2011 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res.

Journal Article

Xen36, Xen 36, Staphylococcus aureus Xen36, IVIS, Adsorption/drug effects; Anti-Bacterial Agents/chemistry/*pharmacology; Biological Markers/metabolism; *Bone Transplantation; Cell Differentiation/drug effects; Cell Shape/drug effects; Cells, Cultured; Colony Count, Microbial; Drug Stability; Fetus/cytology; Fluorescence; Gene Expression Profiling; Humans; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Osteoblasts/cytology/drug effects/metabolism; Phenotype; Time Factors; Transplantation, Homologous; Vancomycin/chemistry/*pharmacology

Bacterial contamination of bone allograft is a significant complication of orthopedic surgery. To address this issue, we have engineered a method for covalently modifying bone allograft tissue with the antibiotic vancomycin. The goal of this investigation was to compare the biocidal properties of this new allograft material with those of vancomycin physisorbed onto graft material. The duration of antibiotic release from the vancomycin-modified allograft matrix was determined, and no elution was observed. In contrast, the adsorbed antibiotic showed a peak elution at 24h that then decreased over several days. We next used an Staphylococcus aureus disk diffusion assay to measure the activity of the eluted vancomycin. Again we found that no active antibiotic was eluted from the covalently modified allograft. Similarly, when the vancomycin-modified allograft morsel was used in the assay, no measurable elution was observed; amounts of antibiotic released from the adsorbed samples inhibited S. aureus growth for 4-7 days. Probably the most telling property of the allograft was that after 2 weeks, the tethered allograft was able to resist bacterial colonization. Unlike the elution system in which vancomycin was depleted over the course of days-weeks, the antibiotic on the allograft was stably bound even after 300 days, while its biocidal activity remained undiminished for 60 days. This finding was in stark contrast to the antibiotic impregnated allograft, which was readily colonized by bacteria. Finally we chose to evaluate three indicators of cell function: expression of a key transcription factor, expression of selected transcripts, and assessment of cell morphology. Since the tethered antibiotic appeared to have little or no effect on any of these activities, it was concluded that the stable, tethered antibiotic prevented bacterial infection while not modifying bone cell function.