IL-4 Is an Endogenous Inhibitor of Neutrophil Influx and Subsequent Pathology in Acute Antibody-Mediated Inflammation

Abstract

IL-4 is an immunoregulatory cytokine that has in vitro and in vivo anti-inflammatory actions. In this study we investigated whether endogenously produced IL-4 modulates inflammatory processes that occur after Abs bind to target tissue by comparing the severity of glomerulonephritis induced by heterologous anti-glomerular basement membrane Abs in wild-type (IL-4+/+) mice to that of glomerulonephritis induced in homozygous IL-4 gene knockout (IL-4−/−) mice. Two hours after Ab injection, IL-4−/− mice had significantly higher intrarenal intercellular adhesion molecule-1 mRNA expression and intraglomerular neutrophil accumulation than the IL-4+/+ group. Treatment of IL-4−/− mice with recombinant murine IL-4 at the time of disease induction reduced intercellular adhesion molecule-1 expression and neutrophil influx to levels observed in IL-4+/+ kidneys. Four days after Ab administration, untreated IL-4−/− mice developed significantly greater urinary protein excretion, intracapillary fibrinogen deposits, and glomerular hypercellularity than IL-4+/+ mice. These results demonstrate that endogenous IL-4 suppresses neutrophil influx and limits tissue damage in Ab-induced glomerulonephritis, suggesting that IL-4 is an important regulator of acute inflammatory processes.