Modulation of macrophage fibronectin secretion by LPS

The secretion of fibronectin (Fn) by rat peritoneal macrophages was found to be down-regulated by LPS. A sensitive ELISA was used to quantitate both substrate-attached and supernatant Fn. Thioglycollate-elicited peritoneal exudate cells were observed to release a considerable amount of Fn during the adherence procedure for macrophage purification. After this procedure, macrophage Fn levels peaked within 2 hr and then declined steadily to baseline levels by 96 hr. Fn release by exudate cells during adherence purification was less affected by cycloheximide treatment than was subsequent Fn secretion by purified macrophages. Macrophages elicited with thioglycollate and P. acnes displayed enhanced Fn secretory activity when compared with resident unstimulated cells. Exposure to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) suppressed the levels of immunoreactive Fn in supernatants of elicited cells. This inhibition was shown to be dose-dependent and most significant after 24 hr of incubation. The inclusion of polymyxin B in the culture medium did not reverse the LPS-induced inhibition of Fn production but did prevent LPS stimulation of interleukin-1 secretion in the macrophage cultures. These observations demonstrate that Fn secretion by macrophages is regulated according to the functional state of the cell.