title: Carrageenan activates monocytes via type-specific binding with interleukin-8: an implication for design of immuno-active biomaterials.
abstract: Polymers that can activate the immune system may become useful biomaterials tools, given that the mechanisms underlying their actions are well understood. Herein, we report a novel type of interaction between polymers and immune cells - in studying the influence of the three major types of carrageenan (CGN) polysaccharides on monocyte behaviour in vitro, we found only the λ-type induced monocyte adhesion and this action requires the presence of an adequate amount of serum. Further analyses indicated λ-CGN bound interleukin-8 (IL-8) in the serum and activated the cultured monocytes through an IL-8-dependent pathway. This is the first demonstration that a polymer, with a renowned immunostimulatory effect, activates the immune system via binding and harnessing the function of a specific cytokine in the microenvironment. This is a new mechanism underlying polymer-immunity interactions that may shed light on future design and application of biomaterials tools targeting the immune system for a wide variety of therapeutic applications.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, University of Macau, Macau SAR, China. cmwang@umac.mo.
authors.forename: Weng-I
authors.initials: WI
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, University of Macau, Macau SAR, China. cmwang@umac.mo.
authors.forename: Guangpan
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Thermo Fisher Scientific, Singapore, Singapore 739256.
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, University of Macau, Macau SAR, China. cmwang@umac.mo.
authors.forename: Chung-Hang
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Leung
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong SAR, China.
authors.forename: Dik-Lung
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1458-6263
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China 210093. leidong@nju.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, University of Macau, Macau SAR, China. cmwang@umac.mo.
authors.forename: Chunming
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9185-9678
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002351:Carrageenan / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002448:Cell Adhesion / Q000187:drug effects; D002460:Cell Line; D006801:Humans; D016209:Interleukin-8 / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D009000:Monocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D001672:Biocompatible Materials; C508606:CXCL8 protein, human; D016209:Interleukin-8; D002351:Carrageenan