Mast cells as sources of cytokines, chemokines, and growth factors

Abstract

Mast cells are hematopoietic cells that reside in virtually all vascularized tissues and that represent potential sources of a wide variety of biologically active secreted products, including diverse cytokines and growth factors. There is strong evidence for important non-redundant roles of mast cells in many types of innate or adaptive immune responses, including making important contributions to immediate and chronic IgE-associated allergic disorders and enhancing host resistance to certain venoms and parasites. However, mast cells have been proposed to influence many other biological processes, including responses to bacteria and virus, angiogenesis, wound healing, fibrosis, autoimmune and metabolic disorders, and cancer. The potential functions of mast cells in many of these settings is thought to reflect their ability to secrete, upon appropriate activation by a range of immune or non-immune stimuli, a broad spectrum of cytokines (including many chemokines) and growth factors, with potential autocrine, paracrine, local, and systemic effects. In this review, we summarize the evidence indicating which cytokines and growth factors can be produced by various populations of rodent and human mast cells in response to particular immune or non-immune stimuli, and comment on the proven or potential roles of such mast cell products in health and disease.

Mast cells in early rheumatoid arthritis associate with disease severity and support B cell autoantibody production

“…Whether the early synovial infiltration of MCs means that they are essential to lymphoid neogenesis remains to be established. In fact, in addition to the direct modulation of lymphocyte activation, MCs are also known to produce several mediators,52 including angiogenic and lymphangiogenic factors,53 54 that could support the organisation of ELS 55. Interestingly, MC numbers were significantly higher in IL27 ra -deficient animals, in association with synovial ELS and a worse disease outcome.…”

Mast cells—Good guys with a bad image?

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Pregnancy should be a careless time for all women worldwide.

However, next to the problematic of in-and subfertility several pregnancy pathologies can exist that danger both mother and fetus.

Among these but not limited to it is important to mention spontaneous abortions, hypertensive disorders, stillbirth, premature birth or intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). [18][19][20][21][22] MCs can influence neutrophil recruitment, 23-25 DC function, and T-cell expansion. Additionally to the problems faced in underdeveloped countries because of no access to health care, hunger, infections, and war, 1-4 there are problems to be solved that are related to advanced age in the first pregnancy, 5-7 declining fertility because of environmental contamination 8-11 and increased rates of autoimmune diseases.

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“…Additionally to the problems faced in underdeveloped countries because of no access to health care, hunger, infections, and war, 1-4 there are problems to be solved that are related to advanced age in the first pregnancy, 5-7 declining fertility because of environmental contamination 8-11 and increased rates of autoimmune diseases. 18,19,30 The divergent functions of MCs depend on the specific processes, the involved tissues and the prevailing microenvironment ( Figure 1). One important aspect is the study of the immune system during pregnancy.…”

“…42 The classification of MCs in human and rodents is based on their localization and their content of proteases. 18 The extracellular domain of the Kit receptor serves as binding site for SCF. In rodents, MCs can be divided into mucosal-type MCs Cpa3, heparin and large amounts of histamine.…”

Adipocytokines leptin and adiponectin function as mast cell activity modulators

“…Activation of MCs leads to release of stored, cytoplasmic granule‐associated factors, such as histamine, proteases, proteoglycans, and some cytokines and chemokines. This is followed by the production of lipid mediators – leukotrienes (LTs), prostaglandins, and thromboxanes, as well as the de novo synthesis of cytokines, chemokines, and growth factors . MC‐derived mediators noticeably influence the activity of adjacent cells and tissues.…”