Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 and macrophage inflammatory protein-2 production is inhibited by taurine chloramine in rat C6 glioma cells

Taurine monochloramine (Tau-Cl) is formed through the actions of a halide-dependent myeloperoxidase system associated with polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN). Tau-Cl inhibits production of inflammatory mediators by activated macrophages, and PMN. Recently, Tau-Cl was shown to inhibit production of nitric oxide and prostaglandin E-2 by activated C6 glioma cells. Since chemokines, secreted by activated glial cells, play a prominent role in eliciting inflammatory responses in the central nervous system, the effects of Tau-Cl on production of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) and macrophage inflammatory protein-2 (MIP-2) were determined in activated C6 glioma cells. Tau-Cl inhibited production of MCP-1 and MIP-2 in a concentration-dependent manner, and was most potent against MCP-1. Tau-Cl exerted a transient inhibition of the temporal expression of MCP-1 and MIP-2 mRNAs during the first 4 h of activation. Although both chemokine mRNA levels were similar to those of control cells after 8-24 h of activation, production of the chemokine proteins, especially MCP-1, remained markedly low. These results suggest that Tau-Cl inhibits production of MCP-1 and MIP-2 in activated C6 cells primarily through post-transcriptional mechanisms. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.