Interferon-gamma and lipopolysaccharide reduce cAMP responses in cultured glial cells: reversal by a type IV phosphodiesterase inhibitor.

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to determine whether two classical macrophage activators, bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) could affect the accumulation of the second messenger cAMP in cultured rat microglia and astrocytes. Purified microglia and astrocyte secondary cultures obtained from the neonatal rat were grown for 3 days in basal medium Eagle (BME) + 10% fetal calf serum (FCS). Exposure of microglia to LPS resulted into a dose- and time-dependent decrease in the accumulation of cAMP induced by receptor-mediated (isoproterenol or prostaglandin E2) or direct (forskolin) activation of adenylate cyclase. The inhibitory effect of LPS was rapid (a 10 min preincubation was sufficient to approach a maximal effect), occurred at low doses (IC50 = 1.2 ng/ml), and was not abrogated by pertussis toxin. A selective inhibitor of type IV phosphodiesterase (rolipram, 100 nM) prevented the effect of LPS on cAMP accumulation, while inhibitors of other forms of phosphodiesterase were unable to do so. IFN-gamma (100 u/ml) also caused a depression of the evoked cAMP accumulation in microglia after a 10 min preincubation, and its effect was prevented by rolipram, as in the case of LPS. Astrocytes differed from microglia in that LPS (1-100 ng/ml) did not inhibit the accumulation of cAMP induced by either isoproterenol or forskolin; on the other hand, IFN-gamma did have an inhibitory effect (though less pronounced than in microglia) that could be prevented by rolipram.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)