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IFN-τ Alleviates Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Inflammation by Suppressing NF-κB and MAPKs Pathway Activation in Mice

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Abstract

IFN-τ, which is a type I interferon with low cytotoxicity, is defined as a pregnancy recognition signal in ruminants. Type I interferons have been used as anti-inflammatory agents, but their side effects limit their clinical application. The present study aimed to determine the anti-inflammatory effects of IFN-τ in a lipopolysaccharide-stimulated acute lung injury (ALI) model and in RAW264.7 cells and to confirm the mechanism of action involved. The methods used included histopathology, measuring the lung wet/dry ratio, determining the myeloperoxidase activity, ELISA, qPCR, and western blot. The results revealed that IFN-τ greatly ameliorated the infiltration of inflammatory cells and the expression of TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6. Further analysis revealed that IFN-τ down-regulated the expression of TLR-2 and TLR-4 mRNA and the activity of the NF-κB and MAPK pathways both in a lipopolysaccharide-induced ALI model and in RAW264.7 cells. The results demonstrated that IFN-τ suppressed the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines by inhibiting the phosphorylation of the NF-κB and MAPK pathways. Thus, IFN-τ may be an optimal target for the treatment of inflammatory diseases.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NO.31272631, 31472254).

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    Authors and Affiliations

    1. Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, People’s Republic of China

      Haichong Wu, Gan Zhao, Kangfeng Jiang, Xiuying Chen, Guangze Rui, Changwei Qiu, Mengyao Guo & Ganzhen Deng

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    1. Haichong Wu
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    Haichong Wu and Gan Zhao contributed equally to this work.

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    Wu, H., Zhao, G., Jiang, K. et al. IFN-τ Alleviates Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Inflammation by Suppressing NF-κB and MAPKs Pathway Activation in Mice. Inflammation 39, 1141–1150 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10753-016-0348-9

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