Alveolar macrophages (AMs) are not only important immune cell of the host, but also important target cell of a variety of respiratory pathogens. They play an important role in defense against pathogen invasion and in maintaining tissue balance. Interferon (IFN)-γ is a well known multipotent cytokine that has antiviral and antibacterial immune activity and enhances antigen presentation. To better reveal the biological processes of porcine AMs activated by IFN-γ, transcriptomic analysis was performed using Illumina HiSeqTM technique. The results identified 2,248 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), of which 753 were upregulated and 1,495 were downregulated, in porcine AMs 12 h after IFN-γ stimulation, compared with mock-treated porcine AMs. A gene ontology function enrichment analysis of these DEGs indicated that these genes were significantly enriched in functional clusters such as immune response, defense response, and intracellular signaling cascades. Analyzing the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathways of the DEGs showed that these genes are mainly involved in cytokine–cytokine receptor interactions, alpha linolenic acid metabolism, and the RIG-I-like receptor signaling pathway. This study shows that a massive gene expression change occurred in porcine AMs following IFN-γ stimulation, which is critical for understanding the mechanisms of IFN-γ-mediated macrophage activation and immune regulation.

Early lactation period in dairy cows could be harmful to their health since it is challenging and demanding. Proinflammatory cytokine concentrations are increased in the early phase of the inflammatory response and during the early lactation period in cows. The aim of this study was to determine if ketoprofen treatment in the first days following parturition would decrease proinflammatory cytokine concentration and their correlation between lipid mobilization, ketogenesis and metabolic parameters in cows. The study was conducted on 30 cows divided into two groups of 15 cows each. The experimental group was treated with 3 mg × kg.bw.-1 ketoprofen for three consecutive days after parturition. The blood samples were collected on the first day of treatment and in the first and second week postpartum and they were analyzed for biochemical parameters such as non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA), beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHBA), glucose, cholesterol and total bilirubine and inflammatory parameters such as tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1α (IL-1α) and interferon-γ (IFN-γ). The results suggested that ketoprofen- treated cows had a significantly lower concentration of TNF-α, IL-1α, IFN-γ, NEFA and BHBA in the first and second postpartum week compared to the control group. Ketoprofen administration increased glucose levels (the first week, p<0.05), increased cholesterol levels (the second week, p<0.01) and decreased serum total bilirubin levels (second week, p<0.01) compared to the control group of cows. A positive correlation was found between TNF-α and NEFA and total bilirubin, significantly more expressed in the control than in experimental group of cows (p<0.01) and it was also found between IL-1α and NEFA (p<0.01). A negative correlation was found between TNF-α and glucose and cholesterol, significantly more expressed in the control than in experimental group of cows (p<0.01). A positive correlation was also found between IL-1α and glucose (p<0.01). Ketoprofen given parenterally to Holstein cows immediately after calving could reduce inflammation and decrease the relation between inflammatory response and lipogenesis and ketogenesis in postpartum cows.