title: Inhibition of LPS-induced tumor necrosis factor-alpha production by colchicine and other microtubule disrupting drugs.
abstract: Colchicine has been shown to act as an antiinflammatory agent. In this study, we examined whether colchicine and other microtubule-depolymerizing drugs affected the production of TNF-alpha. When rat peritoneal macrophages were stimulated by LPS, addition of colchicine, vincristine, vinblastine or nocodazole was found to inhibit TNF-alpha release in a concentration-dependent manner. Suppression of TNF-alpha release was not due to interference with secretion as the cytokine did not accumulate intracellularly following colchicine treatment. Colchicine markedly enhanced PGE2 release from LPS-stimulated macrophages. However, addition of the cyclooxygenase inhibitor indomethacin only partially reversed the suppressive effect of colchicine on TNF-alpha production. Colchicine caused a strong reduction of LPS-induced TNF-alpha mRNA accumulation, suggesting that a pretranslational effect may represent the primary mechanism by which colchicine reduced TNF-alpha production. These observations could have clinical relevance in ameliorating undesirable effects due to excessive TNF-alpha production, for example following LPS stimulation of monocytes/macrophages in gram-negative sepsis. Furthermore, these drugs may provide useful tools to study the apparent involvement of the microtubular system in cytokine gene expression and cytokine production.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Immunology, Philipps University, Marburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: G S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Davis
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mohr
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nain
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gemsa
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003078:Colchicine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015232:Dinoprostone / Q000096:biosynthesis; D005110:Extracellular Space / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D005347:Fibroblasts; D007424:Intracellular Fluid / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017737:Macrophages, Peritoneal / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008870:Microtubules / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D015739:Nocodazole / Q000494:pharmacology; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D011916:Rats, Inbred F344; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics / Q000633:toxicity; D014747:Vinblastine / Q000494:pharmacology; D014750:Vincristine / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D014750:Vincristine; D014747:Vinblastine; D015232:Dinoprostone; D015739:Nocodazole; D003078:Colchicine