Native high-density lipoprotein augments monocyte responses to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) by suppressing the inhibitory activity of LPS-binding protein.

High-density lipoprotein (HDL) is an abundant plasma lipoprotein that is generally thought to be anti-inflammatory in both health and infectious disease. It binds and neutralizes the bioactivity of the potent bacterial lipids, LPS and lipoteichoic acid, that stimulate host innate immune responses. LPS-binding protein (LBP) plays an important role in augmenting leukocyte responses to LPS, whereas high concentrations of LBP, in the range of those found in plasma, can be inhibitory. We found that native HDL (nHDL) augmented human monocyte responses to LPS in the presence of inhibitory concentrations of LBP as measured by production of TNF and other cytokines. HDL did not stimulate cells in the absence of LPS, and it did not augment responses that were stimulated by IL-1beta or lipoteichoic acid. This activity of HDL was inhibited by trypsin treatment, suggesting that one or more protein constituents of HDL are required. In contrast to nHDL, low-density lipoprotein, and reconstituted HDL did not possess this activity. The total lipoprotein fraction of normal plasma had activity that was similar to that of nHDL, whereas lipoproteins from septic patients with reduced HDL levels had a reduced ability to augment responses to LPS; this activity was restored by adding normal HDL to the patient lipoproteins. Our results demonstrate a novel proinflammatory activity of HDL that may help maintain sensitive host responses to LPS by suppressing the inhibitory activity of LBP. Our findings also raise the possibility that the decline of HDL during sepsis may help control the response to LPS.