Macrophage inflammatory proteins 1 and 2: expression by rat alveolar macrophages, fibroblasts, and epithelial cells and in rat lung after mineral dust exposure.

Macrophage inflammatory proteins 1 alpha and 2 (MIP-1 alpha, MIP-2) are members of a growing family of cytokines thought to play a role in host defense. MIP-1 alpha and MIP-2 were previously identified in the mouse and shown to stimulate inflammatory cell recruitment. To better understand the potential role of MIP-1 alpha and MIP-2 in lung defense, we investigated the ability of rat lung cells to express mRNA for and/or secrete MIP-1 alpha and MIP-2 proteins in vitro and characterized expression of these cytokines in rat lung after in vivo exposure to silica (SiO2) or titanium dioxide (TiO2). In response to lipopolysaccharide, rat alveolar macrophages expressed increased levels of MIP-1 alpha and MIP-2 mRNA and secreted proteins (identified by N-terminal sequencing) homologous to mouse MIP-1 alpha and MIP-2. Rat alveolar macrophage MIP-1 alpha and MIP-2 mRNA expression was also increased by tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF) and adherence to plastic. Studies with a rat fibroblast and epithelial cell line demonstrated that MIP-2, but not MIP-1 alpha, expression can be detected in these cells after stimulation with TNF. Intratracheal instillation studies with SiO2 and TiO2 showed that inflammatory doses of these dusts increase MIP-1 alpha and MIP-2 mRNA expression in whole lung and that increased gene expression preceded the accumulation of inflammatory cells.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)