Rapamycin enhances LPS induction of tissue factor and tumor necrosis factor-α expression in macrophages by reducing IL-10 expression

Bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induces monocytes/macrophages to express proinflammatory cytokines and tissue factor (TF), the primary activator of the coagulation cascade. Anti-inflammatory signaling pathways including the phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K)-Akt pathway inhibit proinflammatory and TF gene expression in macrophages. We determined the role of Akt, the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and interleukin-10 in the inhibition of LPS-induced proinflammatory cytokine and TF gene expression in peritoneal macrophages (PMs). We used wild type (WT) peritoneal macrophages (PMs), and PMs from PTEN flox/flox/LysMCre mice (PTEN −/− PMs), which have increased Akt activity. Pharmacologic inhibition of mTOR with rapamycin inhibited LPS induction of IL-10 mRNA and protein, and enhanced the expression of TF and the proinflammatory cytokine TNFα in WT PMs. Furthermore, neutralizing IL-10 with anti-IL-10 antibody enhanced LPS induction of TNFα and TF expression in WT PMs. The addition of recombinant IL-10 abolished rapamycin enhancement of LPS-induced TNFα and TF expression in WT PMs. Consistent with enhanced Akt activation, LPS-induced IL-10 expression was increased in PTEN −/− PMs compared to WT PMs. In contrast, LPS-induced TNFα and TF expression was significantly reduced in PTEN −/− PMs compared to WT PMs. However, the neutralizing IL-10 antibody did not completely prevent inhibition of LPS-induced TNFα and TF expression in PTEN −/− PMs. The results indicate that mTOR dependent IL-10 expression leads to inhibition of LPS induction of TF and the proinflammatory cytokine TNFα in WT macrophages. In contrast, the decrease in LPS-induced TNFα and TF expression in PTEN −/− PMs also requires an IL-10-independent pathway.