Cyclosporin A-treated Dendritic Cells may affect the outcome of organ transplantation by decreasing CD4(+)CD25(+) regulatory T cell proliferation

Artículo de publicación ISIOne of the mechanisms for generation of tolerance involves immature dendritic cells (DCs) and a subpopulation of regulatory CD4+ CD25+ T lymphocytes (TREG). The purpose of this work was to analyze how Cyclosporine A (CsA), a widely used immunosuppressive drug, may affect TREG proliferation. Purified and activated murine DCs obtained from bone marrow precursors differentiated with rGMCSF were co-cultured with purified CFSE-labeled TREG from OTII mice, and their phenotype and proliferation analyzed by flow cytometry. Our data indicate that DCs differentiated in the presence of CsA show an altered phenotype, with a lower expression of MHC-II and a lower activating capacity. Additionally, these CsA-treated DCs show decreased production of IL-2 and IL-12 and increased IL-10 secretion when stimulated with LPS, indicating an effect on the polarization of the immune response. Interestingly, CsA-treated DCs show an anti-tolerogenic effect since they reduce the proliferation of TREG cells from 72 to 47%. Further inhibition to a 24% of TREG proliferation was obtained as a direct effect of CsA on TREG. In conclusion, the anti-tolerogenic effect of CsA should be considered in the planning of immunosuppression in the context of clinical transplantation.This work was supported by grants from FONDECYT 1100448 (to MR), 1100557 (to MRB), and 1080416 (to AF); and Grants DI 03-02 from Universidad Andrés Bello and CONICYT PFB- 16 (to MR)