Reprogrammed Macrophage Tumor Necrosis Factor and Interleukin-1 Release with Inflammatory Pretreatment

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether different reprogrammed alterations in endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide, LPS)-stimulated tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and interleukin-1 (IL-1) release are seen following pretreatment with endotoxin (LPSp) or pretreatment with the particulate inflammatory stimulus zymosan. METHODS: Murine peritoneal macrophages (M phi) pretreated for 24 hours in vitro with medium, LPSp, zymosan, latex beads, or killed Escherichia coli. After 24 hours M phi were restimulated with medium, LPSa, zymosan, latex beads, or E. coli, M phi supernatant TNF and IL-1 were measured after 24 hours and mRNA levels determined after 6 hours with reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: Pretreatment with low dose LPSp markedly inhibited TNF release by both LPSa or zymosan, while pretreatment with zymosan increased LPSa-stimulated TNF release. Pretreatment with both LPSp and zymosan augmented LPSa and zymosan-stimulated IL-1. Zymosan pretreatment augmentation of TNF and IL-1 was accompanied by lower than basal levels of cytokine message. CONCLUSION: Reprogrammed macrophage TNF and IL-1 release was differentially regulated by distinct inflammatory stimuli. Understanding reprogrammed macrophage cytokine regulation may enable specific therapy to modify dysregulated cytokine release during sepsis and trauma.