Amphotericin B both inhibits and enhances T-cell proliferation: Inhibitory effect is mediated through H2O2 production via cyclooxygenase pathway by macrophages

Abstract

Amphotericin B (AmB) has been shown to have both immunosuppressive and -enhancing effects, making its precise nature of action enigmatic. In the present study, we found that AmB inhibited concanavalin A (Con A)-induced T cell proliferation if added within first 30 min of stimulation, after which inhibition began to diminish rapidly. However, AmB did not inhibit T-cell proliferation induced by a combination of PMA and ionomycin. AmB inhibition of Con A-induced proliferation was completely overcome by cyclooxygenase inhibitor ibuprofen ([α-methyl-4-(isobutyl)phenylacetic acid]) and H2O2 scavenger catalase. In fact, in the presence of ibuprofen and catalase, AmB enhanced, instead of suppressing, Con A-induced proliferation in a dose-dependent way. The effect of catalase was limited to the removal of extracellular H2O2 only, as the enzyme did not enter the cells. AmB stimulated H2O2 production by macrophages, but not by a lymphocyte population, which was inhibited by ibuprofen. Our T-cell preparation contained about 3% macrophages, and AmB inhibition of proliferation was further pronounced by increasing the macrophage number by as little as 1%. Finally, AmB inhibition of Con A-induced T-cell proliferation was completely overcome by 2-mercaptoethanol. On the basis of these results, we suggest that AmB stimulates H2O2 production by macrophages through the activation of the cyclooxygenase pathway of arachidonate metabolism. H2O2 then inhibits Con A-induced T-cell proliferation by interfering with an early step of the T-cell receptor signaling pathway through the oxidative modification of some signaling proteins. Our results also show that AmB enhances T-cell proliferation, which can be seen only after blocking its inhibitory effect. J. Cell. Biochem. 77:361–371, 2000. © 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.