Effects of Il-33/St2 pathway on alteration of iron and hematological parameters in acute inflammation

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this study was to examine the role of the IL-33/ST2 pathway in pathogenesis of acute inflammation by investigating its possible role in alteration of iron and hematological parameters in experimental model of acute inflammation. Material and methods: Wild-type and ST2 knockout BALB/c mice were divided into four groups: wild-type control group, ST2-/- control group, wild-type inflammatory group, and ST2-/- inflammatory group. Acute inflammation was induced by intramuscular injection of turpentine oil, while control groups were injected with saline. After 12 h animals were anesthetized, and the treated tissue, blood and spleen were collected. Iron concentration in the treated tissue, hemoglobin blood concentration, mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), hematocrit, erythrocyte, neutrophil and lymphocyte blood count, and erythrocytes percentage in spleen were determined. Results: Iron concentration in the treated tissue was significantly higher in wild-type inflammatory group (WT-I) when compared to both, the wild-type control group (WT-C) and ST2-/- inflammatory group (KO-I). There was no significant difference in iron concentration between ST2-/- control group (KO-C) and the KO-I. MCH had significantly decreased in WT-I when compared to WT-C, while there was no significant difference between KO-C and KO-I. Hemoglobin blood concentration significantly increased in KO-I in comparison to KO-C, while it did not significantly differ between WT-I and KO-I. Erythrocyte count and hematocrit had significantly increased, while the percentage of erythrocytes in spleen decreased in both inflammatory groups when compared to their controls. Neutrophil count significantly decreased in WT-I, when compared to WT-C. Lymphocyte count decreased in both inflammatory groups when compared to their controls. Conclusion: Results of this study indicate that the IL-33/ST2 axis could have a role in the alteration of iron in acute inflammation, namely in an increase of iron concentration at the site of acute inflammation and a decrease of blood mean corpuscular hemoglobin.