Interferon-gamma increases macrophage phospholipid polyunsaturation: a possible mechanism of endotoxin sensitivity.

Incubation of murine macrophages or the macrophage-like cell line P388D with interferon-gamma in vitro induced a significant increase in the polyunsaturated fatty acid content of phosphatidylethanolamine. These increases were time and dose-dependent, being maximal at 12 hours and with 5000 U/ml interferon and were inhibited in the presence of anti-interferon-gamma monoclonal antibody. Interferon-gamma induced a significant increase in linoleate in peritoneal macrophages while in the cell line arachidonate was significantly increased. These results are of interest because such increases in the polyunsaturated fatty acid content of phosphatidylethanolamine were previously shown by us to be associated with increased sensitivity to endotoxin in mice in vivo. The implications for interferon-gamma sensitizing to endotoxin are discussed.