The purpose of this study was to determine the regulation of type IV collagenase expression in murine peritoneal macrophages (PEM) after they are incubated with LPS. LPS stimulated the production of the latent forms of 92-kDa (MMP-9) and 72-kDa (MMP-2) type IV gelatinases in a dose-dependent (> 10 ng/ml) and serum-dependent manner. Time course analyses revealed that LPS regulated the expression of MMP-9 and MMP-2 via discordant kinetics. Prolonged treatment of PEM with LPS decreased MMP-9 but not MMP-2 activities. IFN-gamma decreased the production of both gelatinases by PEM responding to LPS. TGF-beta stimulated production of both matrix metalloproteinases but blocked the LPS-mediated secretion of MMP-9. LPS-stimulated MMP-9 production was suppressed by genistein and tyrphostin, two specific tyrosine kinase inhibitors, as well as H-7, a serine/threonine protein kinase inhibitor, but not by HA1004, a relatively selective inhibitor for PKA and PKG. Our data demonstrate that the secretion of MMP-2 and MMP-9 by murine PEM is differentially regulated, suggesting a distinct in vivo role for these two otherwise analogous type IV gelatinases in macrophage-mediated connective tissue destruction at sites of immunologic challenges.