An Artificial Silk Elastin-Like Protein Modifies the Polarization of Macrophages

• Published in: ACS applied bio materials Vol. 5; no. 12; pp. 5657 - 5664
• Main Authors: Unzai, Tomo, Washisaka, Taichi, Tabata, Yasuhiko
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Chemical Society 19-12-2022
• Subjects: Animals; Anti-Inflammatory Agents - metabolism; Cytokines - metabolism; Elastin - metabolism; Interleukin-10 - metabolism; Macrophages - metabolism; Mice; Recombinant Fusion Proteins; Silk - metabolism; morphological changes; macrophage polarization; TNF-α; Artificial silk elastin-like protein; IL-10; a pouch model
• ISSN: 2576-6422; 2576-6422
• DOI: 10.1021/acsabm.2c00701

A silk elastin-like protein (SELP) is an artificial compound with silk fibroin-like and elastin-like tandem repeats. The objective of this study is to evaluate the influence of SELP on the polarization of mouse bone marrow-derived macrophages. When the macrophages of inflammation-type (M1) were cultured with different concentrations of SELP solution, the secretion of a pro-inflammatory cytokine, tumor necrotizing factor (TNF)-α, was significantly suppressed at the higher concentrations. In addition, the secretion of an anti-inflammation cytokine, interleukin (IL)-10, was significantly enhanced from the macrophage of an original type (M0). By the incubation with soluble SELP, the morphology of M0- and M1-type macrophages changed to be of a round shape with a large size. Following incubation with the sponge of SELP, the M0-type macrophages secreted IL-10 with time. When injected into an air pouch of mice subcutis which had been prepared by the injection of air, the SELP sponge and 5 wt % of SELP solution induced IL-10 secretion to a significantly high extent compared with the saline injection. Cells isolated from the air pouch 24 h after the injection were stained by the CD206 of a M2 marker. It is concluded that the SELP itself in solution has an ability to induce the anti-inflammation M2-type macrophages.