IL-33/ST2-mediated inflammation in macrophages is directly abrogated by IL-10 during rheumatoid arthritis

IL-10 is an immunosuppressive cytokine produced and sensed by many immune cells and exerts a protective role in autoimmune diseases. However, the underlying mechanism by which IL-10 contributes to prevent the arthritic inflammation in macrophages is poorly understood. Herein we report on a novel anti-arthritic property of IL-10 through the inhibition of IL-33 signaling by macrophages during collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) development. We show that IL-33 expression rather than its receptor (ST2) is positively correlated with IL-10 level in active RA. IL-10 deficiency in mice leads to significant upregulation of IL-33 expression and aggravates the progression of CIA, while exogenous IL-10 treatment effectively diminishes IL-33 production in IL-10 knockout (IL-10(−/−)) CIA mice. We demonstrate further that the inhibitory effect of IL-10 in suppressing IL-33 production requires STAT3 activation in macrophages. Furthermore, IL-33 stimulated proinflammatory genes are notably increased in IL-10(−/−) CIA mice, whereas macrophages treated with recombinant IL-10 exhibit decreased IL-33 amplified inflammation and inhibited IL-33 activated NF-κB signaling pathway. Our findings indicate that IL-10 act as a negative regulator of IL-33/ST2 signaling pathways in vivo, suggesting a potential therapeutic role of IL-10 in autoimmune diseases.