The effects of the differentiated macrophages by dexamethasone on the immune responses

Mohammad Khosravi; Hadis MoriBazofti; Babak Mohammadian; Mohammad Rashno

doi:10.1016/j.intimp.2023.110826

The effects of the differentiated macrophages by dexamethasone on the immune responses

Int Immunopharmacol. 2023 Nov;124(Pt A):110826. doi: 10.1016/j.intimp.2023.110826. Epub 2023 Aug 20.

Authors

Mohammad Khosravi¹, Hadis MoriBazofti², Babak Mohammadian³, Mohammad Rashno⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran. Electronic address: m.khosravi@scu.ac.ir.
² D.V.M. Graduate Student, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran.
³ Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran.
⁴ Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran; Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran.

PMID: 37607463
DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2023.110826

Abstract

The characteristics of M2 macrophages suggest immunotherapeutic approaches for inducing immunological tolerance. The current study aimed to evaluate the effect of Dexamethasone (Dex) treatment on monocytes polarization and its impact on immune responses. The monocytes were extracted from the rat's blood samples. The effects of Dex concentration and treatment duration on monocyte viability, phagocytosis of rabbit red blood cell (RRBC) antigens, and cytokine gene expression were evaluated using MTT, ELISA, and Real-Time PCR analysis, respectively. The monocytes treated with Dex were injected into the rats as an autograft. The effects of the grafted cells were assessed on immune responses, monocyte differentiation, and pathological lesions, in comparison to the control groups. Treatment of monocytes with 10^-5 M of Dex for 48 h increased the expression of IL-10 and TGF-β genes, while reducing the expression of TNF-α and IL-1 genes. The monocytes treated with antigen and Dex showed higher CD206 gene expression compared to CD80. The cells that were treated with Dex had the highest concentration of antigens after five days. Administration of the grafted cells to the animals has some significant effects on innate immune responses and no impact on pathological lesions. The group that received cells treated with Dex and antigen experienced a significant decrease in anti-RBC antibody titers. Additionally, there was a significant difference in the expression of cytokine genes and M2 differentiation markers among the groups that were evaluated. The effects of Dex on the viability and differentiation of monocytes depend on the dosage, timing, and duration of the treatment.

Keywords: Cytokine; Dexamethasone; M2; Macrophage; Monocyte.