Exogenous Gas6 attenuates silica-induced inflammation on differentiated THP-1 macrophages

Abstract Growth arrest specific 6 (Gas6) has been reported to be related to the modulation of innate immunity. To investigate the potential effect of Gas6 on the regulation of inflammations induced by silica, differentiated THP-1 macrophages were exposed to different concentrations of silica for 6 h and 24 h. Additionally, silica-activated macrophages were treated with Gas6 antibody and Gas6 respectively. Expression levels of Gas6 and inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6) were measured. Our results showed that both cell viability and Gas6 expression were suppressed by silica in dose-dependent manners. After pretreatment with Gas6 antibody, silica induced a significant decrease in cell viability and a significant increase in inflammatory cytokines at two time points. Moreover, addition of Gas6 significantly suppressed silica induced TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 levels in negative dose-dependent manners, not only in mRNA levels but also in protein levels. Our results suggested that exogenous Gas6 might attenuate inflammations induced by silica on macrophages.