Activated T cells express the inducible T-cell co-stimulator (ICOS) that, upon binding to its ubiquitously expressed ligand (ICOSL), regulates the immune response and tissue repair. We sought to determine the effect of ICOS:ICOSL interaction on human M1 and M2 macrophages. M1 and M2 macrophages were polarized from monocyte-derived macrophages, and the effect of a soluble recombinant form of ICOS (ICOS-CH3) was assessed on cytokine production and cell migration. We show that ICOS-CH3 treatment increased the secretion of CCL3 and CCL4 in resting M1 and M2 cells. In LPS-treated M1 cells, ICOS-CH3 inhibited the secretion of TNF-α, IL-6, IL-10 and CCL4, while it increased that of IL-23. In contrast, M2 cells treated with LPS + IL4 displayed enhanced secretion of IL-6, IL-10, CCL3 and CCL4. In CCL7- or osteopontin-treated M1 cells, ICOS-CH3 boosted the migration rate of M1 cells while it decreased that of M2 cells. Finally, β-Pix expression was upregulated in M1 cells and downregulated in M2 cells by treatment with ICOS-CH3. These findings suggest that ICOSL activation modulates the activity of human M1 and M2 cells, thereby eliciting an overall anti-inflammatory effect consistent with its role in promoting tissue repair.
Keywords: ICOS:ICOSL system; anti-inflammatory activities; macrophage polarization.