Reprogramming of lipopolysaccharide-primed macrophages is controlled by a counterbalanced production of IL-10 and IL-12.

We studied the potential role of a cytokine regulatory mechanism(s) in LPS-dependent reprogramming and modulation of TNF-alpha and nitric oxide (NO) responses in mouse peritoneal macrophages. Reciprocal regulation of TNF-alpha and NO production by LPS-primed and LPS-stimulated macrophages was found to be dependent on the presence of soluble secretory products released by the cells during the initial LPS priming interaction. Pretreatment of naive macrophages with different mouse recombinant cytokines such as rIL-10, rIL-12, and rIFN-gamma dose dependently and differentially regulated subsequent LPS-induced production of TNF-alpha, IL-6, and NO by cytokine-primed cells. Analysis of IL-12 and IL-10 levels present in culture supernatants of LPS-primed and LPS-stimulated macrophages revealed a high degree of correlation between the profiles of TNF-alpha and IL-12 as well as NO and IL-10. Furthermore, LPS priming of macrophages in the presence of anti-IL-12-neutralizing mAb attenuated TNF-alpha responses while at the same time up-regulated NO production. In contrast, neutralization of endogenous IL-10 with anti-IL-10 mAb resulted in considerable TNF-alpha response at LPS priming doses under conditions that would otherwise strongly inhibit TNF-alpha production. We also found that the initial LPS priming of naive macrophages differentially and dose dependently regulates expression of mRNAs for IL-10, IL-12, and IFN-gamma in LPS-primed macrophages. Collectively, our data provide experimental support for the hypothesis that a cytokine regulatory network, most probably autocrine, tightly controls the reciprocal modulation of TNF-alpha and NO responses in LPS-primed macrophages.