We evaluated the effects of the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor captopril on pathways for monocyte production of interleukin (IL)-1beta in vitro. Human monocytes were treated with captopril and stimulated with tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha or lipopolysaccharide. Captopril caused a dose-dependent reduction of TNF-alpha induced IL-1beta. LPS-induced IL-1beta generation was not reduced by the ACE inhibitor. Pro-IL-1beta concentrations followed the same pattern as that for mature IL-1beta when monocytes were preincubated with captopril. Also, IL-1beta mRNA concentrations were reduced by captopril pretreatment in parallel with IL-1beta. We sought to determine whether captopril affected the nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB complex in monocytic cells. We found that the translocation of the p-65 component of NF-kappaB to the nucleus was inhibited by captopril. Thus captopril reduced TNF-alpha-induced IL-1beta and IL-1betamRNA synthesis in monocytes, in vitro, probably through interference with NF-kappaB activation of the IL-1beta gene. These results support the hypothesis that captopril has immunomodulating properties.