Cytokine responses induced by Toxoplasma gondii in astrocytes and microglial cells

To investigate the role of astroglia in intracerebral immune response to Toxoplasma gondii, astrocytes cultured from mouse brain were inoculated with mouse-virulent or -avirulent toxoplasma strains. In comparison to microglia/brain macrophages, astrocytes as host cells allowed stronger proliferation of avirulent parasites. Toxoplasma infection of astroglia was accompanied by release of interleukin- (IL)1 alpha, IL-6, and granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) activity, whereas alternative challenge by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) evoked no IL-1 response and significantly higher titers of IL-6 and GMCSF At the mRNA level, both stimuli induced transcription of all three cytokines in astrocytes. Secretion of IL-1 and IL-6 upon infection was triggered by T. gondii brady- and tachyzoites in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Heat killing of parasites, but not an exposure to polymyxin B, abrogated their cytokine-inducing activity, thus indicating that an LPS-independent stimulus is provided by T. gondii. When administered in combination, LPS synergistically augmented the IL-1-inducing effect of toxoplasma infection. In comparison, T. gondii-induced, but not an LPS-triggered, IL-6 response of astrocytes resisted to antagonization with IL-10. The IL-6 response of parasitized astroglia was upregulated by external tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha and transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta(1), with only TNF-alpha enhancing simultaneous release of IL-1. Substantial secretion of IL-10 and TNF-alpha was detected in T. gondii-infected microglia, but not in astrocyte cultures. A possibly autocrine stimulation of infected astroglia via IL-1 was found to be unlikely, since addition of IL-1 receptor antagonist did not affect the release of IL-6 and GM-CSF while inhibiting these responses in IL-1-treated cells. The findings substantiate a separate, T. gondii-induced pathway of astroglia activation characterized by the release of IL-1 which may drive local inflammatory reaction both at initial infection of the brain and during reactivating toxoplasmosis.