Regulation of dendritic cell differentiation by vasoactive intestinal peptide: therapeutic applications on autoimmunity and transplantation.

Dendritic cells (DCs) are the most potent antigen-presenting cells (APCs) involved in the defense of the body and in the maintenance of the immune tolerance. The regulation of their maturation, migration, and expression of stimulatory and costimulatory molecules has major consequences on the immune response. The endogenous factors that regulate DC function are poorly known. Vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) is a neuropeptide with potent anti-inflammatory actions. This anti-inflammatory profile is maintained partially through effects on DC differentiation/function. Thus, VIP has differential effects on DCs, depending on the differentiation and stimulatory states. Immature DCs treated with VIP exhibit increased CD86 expression and induce CD4(+) T cell proliferation. In addition, the CD4(+) T cells activated in vitro or in vivo by VIP-treated iDCs exhibit a Th2 phenotype. In contrast, VIP reduces both CD86 and CD80 expression on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated DCs, and inhibits the capacity of DCs to induce in vitro or in vivo T cell proliferation. However, addition of VIP in the early states of DC differentiation results in the generation of DCs that cannot mature following inflammatory stimuli that exhibit a tolerogenic phenotype, characterized by low expression of costimulatory molecules (CD40, CD80, and CD86), low production of proinflammatory cytokines, increased production of IL-10, and capacity to induce regulatory T cells with suppressive actions. The effect of VIP on the DC-Treg axis represents an additional mechanism for their general anti-inflammatory role, particularly relevant in autoimmunity and transplantation.