title: Effects of interleukin-4 on the formation of macrophages and osteoclast-like cells.
abstract: The lymphokine interleukin-4 (IL-4) is an important lymphocyte growth factor, and it also has a modulatory role on hematopoiesis. It was recently reported that IL-4 has an inhibitory effect on bone resorption in vitro, but the underlying mechanisms are not well known. We studied its effects on the formation of osteoclast-like cells in mouse bone marrow cultures and in cocultures of spleen cells and stromal cells. The addition of recombinant mouse IL-4 (0.01-10 ng/ml) induced a marked dose-dependent inhibition on the formation of TRAP-positive multinucleated cells (MNC) in bone marrow cultures. The effect was blocked by anti-IL-4 antibodies and was not related to a decreased production of IL-6. The inhibitory effect required the presence of IL-4 during the second half of the culture period. Time course experiments showed that IL-4 impaired the formation of osteoclast-like cells rather than inducing the disappearance of previously formed cells. This inhibitory effect was associated with increased numbers of esterase-positive cells. Moderately high doses of IL-4 (1-10 ng/ml) also induced the formation of abundant macrophage polykaryons that did not form resorption pits. IL-4 had a similar inhibitory effect on the formation of osteoclast-like cells in cocultures of mouse spleen cells and stromal cells. Our results suggest that IL-4 acts on uncommitted macrophage-osteoclast precursors, inducing a preferential differentiation toward the macrophage lineage and thus decreasing the formation of osteoclast-like cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Hospital U.M. Valdecilla, University of Cantabria, Santander, Spain.
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Riancho
authors.forename: M T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Zarrabeitia
authors.forename: G R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Mundy
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yoneda
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: González-Macías
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000187:drug effects; D001854:Bone Marrow Cells; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D006801:Humans; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008264:Macrophages / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects; D051379:Mice; D010010:Osteoclasts / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects; D013154:Spleen / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects; D017154:Stromal Cells / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D015847:Interleukin-4