Interleukin-10 modifies the effects of interleukin-1beta and tumor necrosis factor-alpha on the activity and expression of prostaglandin H synthase-2 and the NAD+-dependent 15-hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase in cultured term human villous trophoblast and chorion trophoblast cells.

The concentrations of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFalpha) and interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta), two inflammatory cytokines in amniotic fluid, have been shown to rise during chorioamnionitis. This is probably related to activation of the immune system in order to intensify the inflammatory process and to protect the maternal and fetal organism from infectious agents. These cytokines activate the PG biosynthetic pathway in several tissues, but few studies have examined effects on PG-metabolizing enzymes. When PGs are produced by increased synthesis and/or decreased metabolism at the chorio-decidual interface, labor can be induced. Interleukin-10 (IL-10) is known to act as an antiinflammatory cytokine. The goals of this study were to evaluate the interaction of IL-10 with IL-1beta and TNFalpha on PG synthesis and to determine the effects of IL-10, IL-1beta, and TNFalpha on PG metabolism using purified cultures of villous trophoblast and chorion trophoblast cells prepared from placentas of patients at term. Cells were treated with IL-1beta and TNFalpha with or without IL-10 for various times up to 24 h. Levels of messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) encoding PGH synthase-2 (PGHS-2) and NAD+-dependent 15-hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase (PGDH) were quantified by Northern blotting, and PGE2 and 13,14-dihydro-15-keto-PGF2alpha (PGFM) output in the medium was measured by RIA. IL-1beta increased PGHS-2 mRNA and PGE2 output from villous and chorion trophoblasts and decreased PGDH mRNA in villous trophoblasts (all P < 0.05). These effects were reversed by IL-10. We found no change in PGHS-2 mRNA or PGE2 output in either trophoblast type treated with TNFalpha, but TNFalpha reduced PGDH mRNA in villous trophoblast, and this effect was reversed by IL-10 (both P < 0.05). We conclude that proinflammatory cytokines can influence PG output through effects on PG synthesis and metabolism and that these effects may be opposed by an antiinflammatory cytokine. These interactions may be important in the progression of preterm labor with underlying infection and in term labor in regions of the uterus where cytokine production is increased.