A recombinant human SLPI variant suppresses the formation of neutrophil extracellular traps at low concentrations in vitro

Abstract

Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) are web-like structures released by neutrophils to trap and kill microbes. While NETs are crucial in host defense, excessive formation can lead to autoimmune diseases. Currently, no specific drugs target NETs directly; however, some medications can indirectly modulate their formation. The secretory leukocyte protease inhibitor (SLPI) is a small protein that inhibits the activity of neutrophil elastase (NE), an enzyme essential for NETs formation. By inhibiting NE activity, SLPI prevents the chromatin from decondensing, which is necessary for NETs to form; this suggests that SLPI may protect by preventing excessive NETs development. However, evidence indicates that NE can inactivate SLPI by cleaving its N-terminus. This action can create a protease/antiprotease imbalance, potentially leading to detrimental consequences for the host. In this study, we produced a recombinant variant of SLPI (SLPI-S15G-A16G: rSLPIv) using recombinant DNA technology, expressed in Escherichia coli SHuffle T7. The protein was tagged with the small metal-binding protein (SmbP) to facilitate its expression and purification through immobilized metal-affinity chromatography. Our results demonstrated that rSLPIv exhibited immunomodulatory activity at a concentration of 10 nM in neutrophils that had been prestimulated with PMA. It reduced NETs formation by 30 % and maintained this effect for up to 6 h. Confocal microscopy confirmed these findings, revealing a rSLPIv-dependent reduction in neutrophil nuclear expansion. Thus, rSLPIv shows significant suppressive activity on NETs formation at low concentrations, making it a potential candidate as an immunotherapeutic agent.