Reduced inflammatory potential of peritoneal macrophages recruited in mice pretreated with a glycolipid synthesis inhibitor

. Integral components of mammalian cell membranes, glycosphingolipids (GSL) reside in specialized plasma membrane microdomains critical for cell signaling. N-alkylated nojirimycins are compounds developed for GSL substrate deprivation therapy, blocking GSL synthesis by specifically inhibiting an essential enzyme, ceramide glucosyltransferase. Peritoneal macrophages recruited in mice pretreated with an inhibitory N-alkylnojirimycin displayed a reduced capacity to release either TNFα or interleukin-6 when re-exposed to whole killed E. coli in vitro . Cell viability and protein content were not affected. A nojirimycin analogue without GSL inhibitory capacity had no effect. The results show inhibition of GSL synthesis in vivo by an Nalkylnojirimycin can reduce the response to an inflammatory stimulus and indicate N-alkylnojirimycins have experimental and potential clinical value for modulating innate immune responses in vivo .