Abstract
There remains a significant need for development of effective small molecules that can inhibit cytokine-mediated inflammation. Phosphoinositide 3 kinase (PI3K) is a direct upstream activator of AKT, and plays a critical role in multiple cell signaling pathways, cell cycle progression, and cell growth, and PI3K inhibitors have been approved or are in clinical development. We examined novel PI3Kdelta inhibitors, which are highly selective for the p110delta isoform of in CD3/CD28 stimulated T-cell cytokine production. In vitro generated CD4+ T effector cells stimulated in the presence of a PI3Kdelta inhibitor demonstrated a dose-dependent suppression of cytokines produced by Th1, Th2, and Th17 cells. This effect was T-cell intrinsic, and we observed similar effects on human PBMCs. Th17 cells expressing a constitutively activated form of AKT were resistant to PI3Kdelta inhibition, suggesting that the inhibitor is acting through AKT signaling pathways. Additionally, PI3Kdelta inhibition decreased IL-17 production in vivo and decreased neutrophil recruitment to the lung in a murine model of acute pulmonary inflammation. These experiments show that targeting PI3Kdelta activity can modulate T-cell cytokine production and reduce inflammation in vivo, suggesting that PI3Kdelta inhibition could have therapeutic potential in treating inflammatory diseases.