Macrophage migration inhibitory factor is necessary for the Lipo-oligosaccharide-induced response by modulation of Toll-like receptor 4 in monocytes from GBS patients

Previous studies have suggested that macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) may play a critical role in the pathogenesis of Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS); however, its definite mechanism remains unknown. In this study, we prepared the monocytes from the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of GBS patients and the controls. Lipo-oligosaccharide (LOS) from Campylobacter jejuni was used as the stimulus of the monocytes in vitro and siRNA-MIF was used to explore the roles of MIF in LOS-induced response. Significantly, silencing of MIF attenuated the LOS-induced up-regulation of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and translocation of NF-кB into the nucleus; we also observed the up-regulation of IL-12p40, TNF-α, IL-6, CXCL8 and CCL5 in GBS monocytes with LOS stimulus; and siRNA-MIF overrided the effects of LOS on the production of the TNF-α, IL-6, and CXCL8. Conclusively, our study provides evidences that MIF may participate in the pathogenesis of GBS by modulating the LOS-induced response through TLR4 signaling pathway.