Lipopolysaccharide antagonists block taxol-induced signaling in murine macrophages

Abstract

Taxol is the prototype of a new class of microtubule stabilizing agents with promising anticancer activity. Several studies show that taxol mimics the actions of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on murine macrophages. To investigate the mechanism of taxol-induced macrophage stimulation we evaluated the ability of Rhodobacter sphaeroides diphosphoryl lipid A (RsDPLA) and SDZ 880.431 to block taxol-induced effects. RsDPLA and SDZ 880.431 are lipid A analogues that lack LPS-hke activity, but inhibit the actions of LPS, presumably by blocking critical cellular binding sites. We report that RsDPLA and SDZ 880.431 potently inhibited taxol-induced TNF secretion, gene activation, and protein-tyrosine phosphorylation. The role of microtubules in taxol signaling was investigated. Taxol-induced microtubule bundling in primary and transformed RAW 264.7 macrophages was not blocked by RsDPLA or SDZ 880.431. Taxotere, a semisynthetic taxoid, was more potent than taxol as an inducer of microtubule bundling, but did not induce tumor necrosis factor α secretion and gene activation. These data dissociate the microtubule effects of taxol from macrophage stimulation and suggest that taxol stimulates macrophages through an LPS receptor-dependent mechanism. The results underscore the potential of taxol as a tool for studying LPS receptor activation and provide insights into possible therapeutic actions of this new class of drugs.