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Updated: Jun 22, 2026

A Simple and Efficient Method for Testing Immunomodulatory Agents for Generation of Tolerogenic Dendritic Cells from Human CD14+ Monocytes
Published on: April 11, 2025
Rapamycin-treated mature dendritic cells have a unique cytokine secretion profile and impaired allostimulatory
Guo-Ying Wang1, Gui-Hua Chen, Hua Li
1Institute of Organ Transplantation, Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China.
Rapamycin (RAPA, sirolimus) is a recently introduced immunosuppressive agent. Its effect on the differentiation and antigen uptake of immature dendritic cells (iDCs) has been studied. However, whether it can also modulate the function of mature DCs (mDCs) is unknown. We investigated the effects of RAPA on rat bone marrow-derived DCs at different stages of maturation. RAPA affected maturation, increased apoptosis and reduced lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced IL-12 and IL-10 production in iDCs. However, mDCs were resistant to RAPA-induced apoptosis. RAPA-mDCs produced significantly less IL-10 and TNF-alpha when compared with mature DCs but similar amounts of IL-12. RAPA did not affect constitutive NF-kappaB activity, but inhibited allostimulatory activity in mature DCs. In conclusion, mDCs treated with RAPA are reprogrammed to produce a unique cytokine secretion profile and exhibit low allostimulatory capacity, which may play an important role in rapamycin-based immunomodulation.
Rapamycin (RAPA, sirolimus) is a recently introduced immunosuppressive agent. Its effect on the differentiation and antigen uptake of immature dendritic cells (iDCs) has been studied. However, whether it can also modulate the function of mature DCs (mDCs) is unknown. We investigated the effects of RAPA on rat bone marrow-derived DCs at different stages of maturation. RAPA affected maturation, increased apoptosis and reduced lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced IL-12 and IL-10 production in iDCs. However, mDCs were resistant to RAPA-induced apoptosis. RAPA-mDCs produced significantly less IL-10 and TNF-alpha when compared with mature DCs but similar amounts of IL-12. RAPA did not affect constitutive NF-kappaB activity, but inhibited allostimulatory activity in mature DCs. In conclusion, mDCs treated with RAPA are reprogrammed to produce a unique cytokine secretion profile and exhibit low allostimulatory capacity, which may play an important role in rapamycin-based immunomodulation.

