title: Monocytes cultured in cytokine-defined environments differ from freshly isolated monocytes in their responses to IL-4 and IL-10.
abstract: To investigate the regulatory effects of the prototypic Th2 lymphocyte products and potential immunotherapeutic agents interleukin-4 (IL-4) and IL-10 on macrophages differentiated in vitro under different cytokine-defined environments, blood monocytes were incubated for 7 days in the presence of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), macrophage colony-stimulating factor or IL-4. The effect of monocyte culture in the presence or absence of serum was also investigated. Functional responses by 7-day-cultured cells to IL-4, quantified as decreased CD14 expression and suppression of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and IL-1 beta production, and as a positive response, increased CD23 expression, were compared directly with the responses by monocytes from which they were derived. In response to IL-10, decreases in LPS-induced TNF-alpha and IL-1 beta production and reduction in the expression of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II antigens were examined. Seven-day cultured monocytes/macrophages showed (1) diminished TNF-alpha production in response to IL-10 but not IL-4 (2), diminished IL-1 beta production in response to both IL-4 and IL-10, and compared with fresh monocytes (3), diminished CD14 expression in response to IL-4, and (4) a lesser increase in CD23 expression in response to IL-4. This was the case regardless of the cytokine in the presence of which the cells had been cultured for 7 days. Monocytes cultured for 7 days in GM-CSF expressed increased levels of MHC class II and LPS-induced TNF-alpha and responded inefficiently to IL-10 for decreased MHC class II. The responses by monocytes cultured for 7 days with GM-CSF resemble the published properties of synovial fluid macrophages from patients with chronic inflammatory arthritis. The study highlights the complexity of monocyte/macrophage responses to the immunoregulatory cytokines IL-4 and IL-10 and concludes that responses to IL-4 and IL-10 by blood monocytes may not be representative of responses by their differentiated or activated counterparts.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, School of Medicine, Flinders University of South Australia, Adelaide.
authors.forename: P H
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Hart
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Finlay-Jones
mesh_terms: D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000032:analysis; D015214:Antigens, Differentiation, Myelomonocytic / Q000032:analysis; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D000949:Histocompatibility Antigens Class II / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D007375:Interleukin-1 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D016753:Interleukin-10 / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018950:Lipopolysaccharide Receptors; D008264:Macrophages / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D009000:Monocytes / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D017455:Receptors, IgE / Q000032:analysis; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000096:biosynthesis
chemical_list: D015703:Antigens, CD; D015214:Antigens, Differentiation, Myelomonocytic; D000949:Histocompatibility Antigens Class II; D007375:Interleukin-1; D018950:Lipopolysaccharide Receptors; D017455:Receptors, IgE; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D016753:Interleukin-10; D015847:Interleukin-4