Interplay of Pneumococcal Hydrogen Peroxide and Host-Derived Nitric Oxide

Abstract

Reactive oxygen and nitrogen species are released by immune-competent cells and contribute to cellular damage. On the other hand, certain pathogens, includingStreptococcus pneumoniae, are known to produce hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), while production of nitrogen radicals by bacteria presumably occurs but has been poorly studied. We determined the relative contributions of bacterial versus host-derived oxygen and nitrogen radicals to cellular damage in pneumococcal infection. A special focus was placed on peroxynitrite as a hypothetical common product formed by the reaction of H₂O₂and NO. In microglial cultures, reduction of the formation of 3-nitrotyrosine and cellular damage required H₂O₂-deficient (ΔspxBor ΔcarB) pneumococci and inhibition of host NO synthesis with aminoguanidine. In infected C57BL/6 mice, neuronal loss and immunopositivity for nitrotyrosine in the dentate gyrus were markedly reduced with ΔspxBor ΔcarBbacterial mutants and in inducible nitric oxide synthase knockout mice. We conclude that although host and bacteria both produce oxygen and nitrogen radicals, the interplay of prokaryotic H₂O₂and eukaryotic NO is a major contributor to cellular damage in pneumococcal meningitis.