Actinomycin D upregulates lipopolysaccharide induction of macrophage procoagulant expression and tumour necrosis factor-alpha production.

The antitumour antibiotic actinomycin D (Act D) and the aminosugar D-galactosamine both enhance the sensitivity of animals to bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Lipopolysaccharide stimulates macrophage membrane-bound procoagulant activity (MPCA) and tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) production in vitro. We investigated the effects of LPS combined with either Act D or D-galactosamine on procoagulant and TNF-alpha production in vitro. Actinomycin D directly induced procoagulant on the malignant monocytoid cell line WEHI 265, and synergized with LPS to enhance MPCA on both WEHI 265 cells and thioglycollate-induced peritoneal exudate macrophages. In the presence of Act D, exudate macrophages expressed procoagulant in response to concentrations of LPS 100,000-fold lower than normally required. Pulsing experiments demonstrated that LPS primed these cells within 4 h to respond to Act D, whereas 4 h priming with Act D inhibited subsequent procoagulant induction by LPS. Although its effects on TNF-alpha production were less intense, low levels of Act D more than doubled TNF-alpha produced by LPS-stimulated exudate macrophages. Procoagulant expression and TNF-alpha production were not always co-ordinately expressed; interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) synergized with LPS to enhance both responses but when IFN-gamma was combined with Act D only procoagulant was upregulated. D-galactosamine failed to affect these macrophage responses. Results indicate different in vivo mechanisms of enhancement of LPS toxicity by these two agents.