Lipoteichoic acid isolated from Lactobacillus plantarum inhibits lipopolysaccharide-induced TNF-α production in THP-1 cells and endotoxin shock in mice

Abstract

In this study, the effect of Lactobacillus plantarum lipoteichoic acid (pLTA) on LPS-induced MAPK activation, NF-κB activation, and the expression of TNF-α and IL-1R-associated kinase M (IRAK-M) was examined. The expression of the pattern recognition receptor and the survival rate of mice were also examined. pLTA pretreatment inhibited the phosphorylation of ERK, JNK, and p38 kinase. It also inhibited the degradation of IκBβ and IκBβ, as well as the activation of the LPS-induced TNF-α factor in response to subsequent LPS stimulation. These changes were accompanied by the suppression of the LPS-induced expression of TLR4, NOD1, and NOD2, and the induction of IRAK-M, with a concurrent reduction of TNF-α secretion. Furthermore, the overexpression of pattern recognition receptors such as TLR4, NOD1, and NOD2 and the degradation of IRAK-M by transient transfection were found to reinstate the production of TNF-α after LPS restimulation. In addition, the i.p. injection of pLTA suppressed fatality, and decreased the level of TNF-α in the blood, in LPS-induced endotoxin shock mice. In conclusion, these data extend our understanding of the pLTA tolerance mechanism, which is related to the inhibition of LPS-induced endotoxin shock, and suggest that pLTA may have promise as a new therapeutic agent for LPS-induced septic shock. Copyright © 2008 by The American Association of Immunologists, Inc.