title: Vasoactive intestinal peptide and pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide enhance IL-10 production by murine macrophages: in vitro and in vivo studies.
abstract: Vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), a neuropeptide present in the lymphoid microenvironment, and the structurally related pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) act as potent anti-inflammatory agents that inhibit the function of activated macrophages and TH cells. Previous reports showed that VIP/PACAP inhibit IL-6 and TNF-alpha production in LPS-stimulated macrophages. The present study reports on the effect of VIP/PACAP on IL-10 production. Although VIP/PACAP do not induce IL-10 by themselves, they enhance IL-10 production in LPS-stimulated macrophages. The specific VPAC1 receptor mediates the stimulatory effect of VIP/PACAP, and cAMP is the major second messenger involved. VIP/PACAP increase IL-10 mRNA in LPS-stimulated cells, and the effect of transcriptional and protein synthesis inhibitors indicates de novo IL-10 production. Electromobility shift assays show that VIP/PACAP induce an increase in nuclear cAMP response element (CRE)-binding complexes, with CRE binding protein as the major active component. Treatments with either a VPAC1 antagonist or a protein kinase A inhibitor abolish IL-10 stimulation and, concomitantly, the increase in CRE binding. Effects similar to the in vitro stimulation of IL-10 were obtained in vivo in mice treated with LPS and VIP or PACAP. The neuropeptides induce increased levels of IL-10 in both serum and peritoneal fluid, and increased expression of the IL-10 mRNA in peritoneal exudate cells. The stimulation of IL-10 production in activated macrophages represents a novel anti-inflammatory activity of VIP and PACAP, which presumably acts in vivo in conjunction with the inhibition of proinflammatory cytokines such as IL-6 and TNF-alpha to reduce the magnitude of the immune response.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ 07102, USA.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Delgado
authors.forename: E J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Munoz-Elias
authors.forename: R P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Gomariz
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ganea
mesh_terms: D000262:Adenylyl Cyclases / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D017362:Cyclic AMP Response Element-Binding Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D004789:Enzyme Activation / Q000187:drug effects; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D016753:Interleukin-10 / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D007700:Kinetics; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000494:pharmacology; D008262:Macrophage Activation; D017737:Macrophages, Peritoneal / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D009479:Neuropeptides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051219:Pituitary Adenylate Cyclase-Activating Polypeptide; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D018005:Receptors, Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide / Q000378:metabolism; D051238:Receptors, Vasoactive Intestinal Polypeptide, Type I; D014660:Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide / Q000494:pharmacology*