Induction of soluble antitumoral mediators by synthetic analogues of bacterial lipoprotein in bone marrow-derived macrophages from LPS-responder and -nonresponder mice.

Macrophage-dependent antitumoral activity is partly mediated by soluble factors including cytokines, reactive-oxygen intermediates (ROIs), and reactive-nitrogen intermediates (RNIs). Activation of macrophages for tumor cytotoxicity can be achieved with various bacterial compounds, such as lipopolysaccharides (LPSs), muramyl-dipeptides, and lipopeptides. We studied the production and release of oxygen radicals, nitric oxide, and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) by bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) of different mouse inbred strains after they were stimulated with the lipopeptide P3CSK4, a water-soluble synthetic analogue of the lipidated N terminus of bacterial lipoprotein. The lipopeptide was able to induce a strong, long lasting release of oxygen radicals in BALB/c mouse macrophages. Furthermore, it induced nitric oxide release from BMDMs of several mouse strains (BALB/c, C57Bl/6, C57Bl/10ScSn, Sv129, NMRI, and LPS-nonresponder C57Bl/10ScCr). Stimulation with P3CSK4 also resulted in comparable production of TNF-alpha in LPS-responder and nonresponder BMDMs from C57Bl/10ScSn mice and C57Bl/10ScCr mice, respectively. All three antitumoral mediators reached functional levels or concentrations as shown by the strong cytostatic/cytotoxic activity of lipopeptide-activated macrophages for the cell lines Abelson 8-1, M12.5/P815, and L929, which are sensitive to ROIs, nitric oxide, and TNF-alpha, respectively. We found that synthetic lipopeptides can induce the secretion of effective levels of soluble tumor-cytotoxic/cytostatic mediators in BMDMs of LPS-responsive and, of particular interest, also of LPS-unresponsive mice. This result could indicate that the highly effective bacterial-macrophage activators P3CSK4 and LPS use different receptors and/or different intracellular signal transduction pathways.