Surfactant inhibits ATP-induced release of interleukin-1β in human monocytes.

Background: Interleukin-1β (IL-1β) is a pro-inflammatory cytokine involved in host defense. However, IL-1β importantly contributes to acute lung injury. In response to a first danger signal such as lipopolysaccharide, pro-IL-1β is synthesized by mononuclear phagocytes. Extracellular ATP is a prototypical second signal, which results in inflammasome activation, proteolytic cleavage and release of IL-1β. In contrast to IL-1β, pulmonary surfactant has anti-inflammatory properties. Here, we test the hypothesis that surfactant inhibits ATP-induced release of IL-1β from monocytes. Methods: Lipopolysaccharide-primed mo…