Red blood cell supernatant potentiates LPS-induced proinflammatory cytokine response from peripheral blood mononuclear cells.

Allogeneic blood transfusion has an immunomodulatory capacity on its recipients through accumulation of immunologically active substances with blood storage, and prestorage leukoreduction reduces many of these mediators. We investigated lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced cytokine response of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) exposed to packed red blood cell (PRBC) supernatants from leukoreduced (LR) or non-leukoreduced (NLR) units with variable duration of storage. PRBC units were collected with or without leukoreduction on Day 0 before routine storage. The plasma fraction (supernatant) was isolated from LR and NLR units after 1 day (D1) or 42 days (D42) of storage and exposed to PBMCs versus control media for 24 h, then with LPS for an additional 24 h. Cell supernatants were analyzed for IL-1beta, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, and TNF-alpha by cytokine bead array. IL-1beta, TNF-alpha, and IL-6 were significantly elevated in PRBC groups versus control. D42 NLR PRBC supernatant significantly increased secretion of IL-1beta and IL-6 compared to D1 NLR PRBC supernatant. LR significantly attenuated the cytokine response of IL-1beta. Thus, PRBC supernatant potentiates proinflammatory LPS-induced cytokine secretion from PBMCs. This response is accentuated with storage duration and partially attenuated with leukoreduction. These findings may partially explain the immune activation seen clinically after blood transfusion.

Melanoma inhibits macrophage activation by suppressing toll-like receptor 4 signaling.

BACKGROUND: Activated macrophages defend against tumors by secreting cytokines to recruit secondary immune cells, presenting antigen to T cells, and by direct tumor cytotoxicity. Peritoneal macrophages harvested from melanoma-bearing mice are less cytotoxic to melanoma cells, and produce less superoxide, nitric oxide, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) than those from nontumor-bearing mice. Similar impairment of macrophage activation occurs in vitro using media harvested from cultured melanoma cells. Stimulation of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR-4) activates macrophages and results in the release of TNF-alpha. We hypothesized that melanoma inhibits macrophage activation by suppressing TLR-4 signaling. STUDY DESIGN: Melanoma conditioned media (MCM) was generated from B16 melanoma cells. Peritoneal macrophages from TLR-4 competent or TLR-4 incompetent mice were exposed to control or MCM for 24 hours; then stimulated with lipopolysaccharide. TNF-alpha secretion, TNF-alpha mRNA production, nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) activation, and TLR-4 surface expression were measured. RESULTS: Peritoneal macrophages exposed to MCM produced considerably less TNF-alpha in response to stimulus than controls (691 pg/mL versus 2,066 pg/mL, p < 0.001). TNF-alpha production by TLR-4 incompetent macrophages was not affected by MCM (454 pg/mL versus 480 pg/mL). Stimulated TNF-alpha mRNA and activated NF-kappaB were decreased in MCM treated C57BL/6 macrophages (by 38% and 33%, respectively). TLR-4 surface expression, however, was not decreased by exposure to MCM. CONCLUSIONS: Melanoma inhibits macrophage activation by suppressing TLR-4 signaling downstream of the TLR-4 receptor.