Doxycycline decreases monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 in human lung epithelial cells.

Certain antibiotics possess anti-inflammatory properties and could potentially be used to treat inflammatory lung diseases associated, with an influx an monocytes such as panbronchiolitis, asthma, cystic fibrosis, and bronchitis. Doxycycline is reported to possess anti-inflammatory effects. Monocyte chemoattratant protein-1 (MCP-1) is a major inflammatory cytokine and a powerful chemoattractant for monocyles.The authors hyothesized that doxycycline exerts its anti-inflammatory effects, in part, by reducing MCP-1 production. To test this hypothesis, A549 human lung epithelial cells were, stimulated with cytomix in the presence or absence of doxycline. In stimulated cells doxycycline decreased MCP-1 production by 95% and in monocyte chemotaxis assays migration decreased by 55%. How-ever , doxycycline did decrease expression of MCP-1 mRNA and did not effect its stability. These data demonstrate that doxcycline modulates MCP-1 production and suggest that doxycycline may provide a new anti-inflammatory therapy for chronic lung diseases.