Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is involved in regulation of immune reaction and cell growth and differentiation. It causes multifunctional responses ranging from inhibition of proliferation to promotion of cell survival. IL-6 effects may depend on experimental conditions such as passage numbers and serum composition. IL-6 signals in target tissues through the receptor ...

Although allergic asthma was described to be associated with the presence of mucosal T helper (Th)2 cells, it is not entirely clear which factors are responsible for priming of T cells to differentiate into Th2 effector cells in this disease. Interleukin (IL)-6 has been recognized as important because it is ...

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) has an essential role in the initial progression of myeloma cell tumours. IL-6 triggers proliferation of these cells via the Ras-mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascade and is thought to promote their survival via signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) pathway-dependent regulation of Bcl-2 family antiapoptotic members. Using ...

Lung epithelial cells contribute to local inflammation by the production of pro-inflammatory mediators like interleukin (IL)-8 and IL-6. Although their production depends on gene transcription, previous studies showed that post-transcriptional mechanisms modulate IL-8 and IL-6 production. Human lung epithelial cells turn from normoresponsive into hyperresponsive IL-8- and IL-6-producing cells when ...

The use of nanoparticles for gene therapy is gaining more and more interest for medical applications. Chitosan is among the candidate polymers that have a potential application as a gene delivery system. Before using chitosan-DNA nanoparticles in vivo, one must study their interaction and cell's behavior. Since macrophages play an ...

Ketamine is widely used in equine anaesthesia. Beside its anaesthetic and analgesic properties, ketamine possesses a cytokine-modulating activity. However, to date, no data are available regarding the inhibitory effect of ketamine on the cytokine response in horses. In horses, cytokines such as tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) play ...

Azaspirane (N-N-diethyl-8,8-dipropyl-2-azaspiro [4.5] decane-2-propanamine; trade name, Atiprimod) is an orally bioavailable cationic amphiphilic compound that significantly inhibits production of interleukin 6 (IL-6) and inflammation in rat arthritis and autoimmune animal models. We here characterize the effect of atiprimod on human multiple myeloma (MM) cells. Azaspirane significantly inhibited growth and induced ...

Multiple myeloma is characterized by the accumulation of terminally differentiated B cells in the bone marrow, due to increased proliferation and restricted apoptosis of the myelomatous clone. Here we have studied the participation of a novel mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) route, the extracellular signal-regulated kinase 5 (Erk5) pathway, in the ...

Exposure to complex mixtures of bacteria and fungi in moisture-damaged buildings is a potential cause of inflammatory related symptoms among occupants. The present study assessed interactions between two characteristic moldy house microbes Streptomyces californicus and Stachybotrys chartarum. Differences in cytotoxic and inflammatory responses in mouse (RAW264.7) macrophages were studied after ...

Objective. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and soluble IL-6 receptor (sIL-6R) activation of gp130 represents an alternative pathway for osteoclast development in inflammatory conditions. The goal of the present study was to investigate changes in sIL-6R levels in response to the inflammatory cytokines IL-1beta and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha) and to determine ...

All-trans-retinoic acid (ATRA), a vitamin A derivative, was reported to suppress the interleukin-6 (IL-6) production and to downregulate the IL-6 receptor (IL-6R) and/or its signal transducer glycoprotein 130. We investigated the in vivo antinephritic effect of ATRA on IL-6 transgenic mice which had developed mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis (PGN) as well ...

Pro-inflammatory cytokines are produced as part of innate immunity. Increased resistance to extraintestinal Salmonella enteritidis (SE) has been associated with an increase in heterophil pro-inflammatory cytokine gene expression. Invasion of chicken epithelial cells by SE induces an 8- to 10-fold increase in interleukin (IL) -6 production. Infection with SE induces ...

The cytokine interleukin-6 (IL-6) is produced by cells of the central nervous system (CNS) during a variety of neuroinflammatory states, in which it is thought to play a role in neuroprotection and/or neuropathology associated with neurological disease. In addition, CNS expression of IL-6 during non-pathological conditions may also occur, although ...

Previous studies have demonstrated that human astrocytes express mRNA and receptor protein for group I and II metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs). Whether these receptors can influence the inflammatory and immune response and can modulate the capacity of astrocytes to produce inflammatory cytokines is still unclear. Inflammatory cytokines can be produced ...

BACKGROUND: Inflammation is commonly associated with lung tumors. Since inflammatory mediators, including members of the interleukin-6 (IL-6) cytokine family, suppress proliferation of normal epithelial cells, we hypothesized that epithelial cells must develop mechanisms to evade this inhibition during the tumorigenesis. This study compared the cytokine responses of normal epithelial cells ...

OBJECTIVE: Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and soluble IL-6 receptor (sIL-6R) activation of gp130 represents an alternative pathway for osteoclast development in inflammatory conditions. The goal of the present study was to investigate changes in sIL-6R levels in response to the inflammatory cytokines IL-1beta and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha) and to determine ...

This essay summarizes my 40 years of research in immunology. As a young physician, I encountered a patient with Waldenström's macroglobulinemia, and this inspired me to study the structure of IgM. I began to ask how antibody responses are regulated. In the late 1960s, the essential role of T cells ...

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a multifunctional cytokine having primarily anti-apoptotic and anti-inflammatory effects. Recent reports have documented that IL-6 plays a key role in liver regeneration. Intracellular deficiency of S-adenosylmethionine (SAMe) is a hallmark of toxin-induced liver injury. Although the administration of exogenous SAMe attenuates liver injury, its mechanisms of action ...

The transcription repressor BCL-6 is known to play critical roles in B-cell lymphomagenesis, germinal center formation, and balanced Th1/Th2 differentiation. In macrophages, although BCL-6 has also been shown to regulate the expression of several chemokine genes, its function in other aspects of macrophage biology has not been studied. In addition, ...

Interleukin-1 (IL-1) is an important catabolic cytokine in rheumatoid and osteoarthritic joint disease. Besides inducing a catabolic response in articular chondrocytes it also strongly induces synergistic mediators such as leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) and interleukin-6 (IL-6). The molecular basis of this is so far hardly understood. The aim of our ...

Formation of interleukin-6 (IL-6) in osteoblasts and bone marrow stromal cells is believed to regulate osteoclast recruitment. The anti-inflammatory cytokines interleukin-4 and -13 (IL-4 and IL-13) stimulate IL-6 production in human osteoblasts. We investigated the relative potencies, and synergistic effects, between IL-4, IL-13 and interleukin-1 (IL-1) on IL-6 formation in ...

Hyper- (450 mOsm/l) and hypoosmotic exposure (150 mOsm/l) of Caco-2 cells, a human intestinal epithelial cell line, induced a twofold- and a fivefold increase in the production of IL-8, a constitutively expressed cytokine, respectively. This was observed both in the presence or in the absence of added proinflammatory cytokines and ...

Regulation of astrocyte differentiation is a key process in the development of the central nervous system (CNS), and disturbance of the differentiation can lead to brain system dysfunction. Here we show that beta-naphthoflavone (betaNF), an agonist of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), disturbed the cAMP-induced astrocytic differentiation of C6 glioma ...

Colorectal carcinoma cells are characterized by over-expression of IL-6 and the IL-6 receptor, an autocrine loop that promotes the development of many tumors. To determine the importance of this pathway, we examined the role that IL-6 plays in the biology of 228 and RKO colorectal tumor cells. IL-6 induced prominent ...

BACKGROUND: Interleukin (IL)-6-mediated anti-apoptotic effects and drug-resistance mechanisms in prostate cancer cells were investigated. METHODS: IL-6 levels of PC-3 and LNCaP cells were studied by using ELISA. Protective effects of IL-6 on cytotoxic agent-induced apoptosis were studied by exogenous IL-6 in serum-starved PC-3 cells and by anti-sense IL-6 strategy. Western ...

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) triggers multiple myeloma (MM) cell proliferation and protects against apoptosis by up-regulating myeloid cell leukemia 1 (Mcl-1). Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) induces modest proliferation of MM cells and induces IL-6 secretion in a paracrine loop involving MM cells and bone marrow stromal cells. Using murine embryonic fibroblast ...

The dramatically increasing prevalence of allergic respiratory diseases may in part be due to the presence of certain immunotoxic xenobiotics in the environment. Recent studies have suggested that some plasticizers belonging to the phthalate family, and metabolites thereof, play a role in the development of allergic respiratory diseases. This is ...

Protection of pancreatic islet beta cells from pro-inflammatory cytokines-induced cell death and functional impairment is a key issue in developing therapeutic interventions of type 1 diabetes mellitus including islet transplantation. The effects of IL-6 on the protection of beta cells in vitro and in vivo were examined. Freshly isolated islets ...

Up-regulation of the IL-1-IL-6 network stimulates systemic expression of C-reactive protein (CRP). This cytokine network system plays a pivotal role in inducing angiogenic growth factors in intestinal mucosa. Serum CRP level and tissue concentrations of cytokines in colorectal cancer patients were determined and an in vitro model was employed to ...

STUDY DESIGN: Interleukin (IL)-6 production was investigated using a coculture system of disc tissue and macrophages. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to investigate the interaction between intervertebral disc tissue and macrophages in terms of IL-6 production. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: IL-6 production is observed in human herniated disc ...

BACKGROUND: Echinacea is commonly used in oral dosage as an immune stimulant to increase resistance to viral, bacterial and fungal infections of the upper respiratory tract. It has been suggested that Echinacea is able to stimulate innate immune responses, including those regulated by macrophages and natural killer cells. Indeed, macrophages ...

The anemia of inflammation, commonly observed in patients with chronic infections, malignancy, trauma, and inflammatory disorders, is a well-known clinical entity. Until recently, we understood little about its pathogenesis. It now appears that the inflammatory cytokine IL-6 induces production of hepcidin, an iron-regulatory hormone that may be responsible for most ...

Strenuous resistive breathing induces plasma cytokines that do not originate from circulating monocytes. We hypothesized that cytokine production is induced inside the diaphragm in response to resistive loading. Anesthetized, tracheostomized, spontaneously breathing Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to 1, 3, or 6 hours of inspiratory resistive loading, corresponding to 45-50% of ...

PURPOSE: Excessive neuronal activity and seizures directly stimulate cytokine expression. In this study we investigated cytokine production in circulating blood and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) in order to assess the cellular origin of these cytokines in patients with therapy resistant epilepsy. METHODS: We compared the levels of plasma IL-1beta, ...

The inflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFalpha), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1beta), and interleukin-8 (IL-8) are believed to contribute to the pathogenesis of lung injury in bovine pneumonic mannheimiosis (BPM) caused by Mannheimia (Pasteurella) haemolytica. Inflammatory cytokines may, therefore, represent therapeutic targets to be modulated for the purpose of treating or preventing ...

Chromium, nickel and manganese are the predominant metals in welding fumes and are associated through epidemiological studies with an increased risk for developing occupational asthma due to welding activities. Here, we show that chromium(VI) and manganese, but not nickel, are cytotoxic to normal human lung epithelial cells in vitro (SAEC ...

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a pleiotropic cytokine with diverse biological effects. IL-6 has been implicated in autocrine signaling pathways promoting tumor progression and chemoresistance in some human tumors. However, the mechanisms by which IL-6 modulates these responses are unknown. Aberrant apoptosis has been implicated as a fundamental mechanism of chemotherapeutic resistance. ...

Multiple Myeloma (MM) is a progressive malignancy with poor prognosis, commonly treated by the use of the glucocorticoid Dexamethasone. Myeloma cells resist Dexamethasone induced apoptosis when exposed to IL-6 or IGF-1, both of which are known to activate several signaling cascades. For the first time, we show the actual contribution ...

OBJECTIVE: To examine the potential impact of beta-blockers and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, medications which modulate beta-adrenergic signaling, on immune function in patients with chronic heart failure (HF). METHODS: 118 patients attending an HF center were tested for circulating levels of norepinephrine (NE), T cells and the inflammation-associated cytokine interleukin ...

Leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) is a pleiotropic glycoprotein belonging to the IL-6 family of cytokines. It shows a wide range of biologic activities that include the growth promotion and cell differentiation of different types of target cells, influence on bone metabolism, cachexia, neural development, embryogenesis and inflammation. LIF has potent ...

PROBLEM: Beneficial effects of multiparity status have been previously reported by different authors. However, this fact has not been fully explained. Taking into consideration the influence of the parity status on the in vitro asymmetric/protective antibodies and the fact that interleukin-6 (IL-6) is involved in the production and immune-regulatory functions ...

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a pleiotropic cytokine with a wide range of biological activities that plays an important role in immune regulation and inflammation. Among other actions, it induces terminal differentiation of B lymphocytes into antibody-forming cells and the differentiation of T cells into effector cells. IL-6 also has multiple potent ...

OBJECTIVES: To investigate proinflammatory cytokine expression in temporal arteries from patients with giant-cell arteritis (GCA) and to analyse its relationship with the intensity of the initial systemic inflammatory reaction and response to corticosteroid therapy. METHODS: Quantification of interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) mRNA by real-time ...

STUDY DESIGN: Disc tissue obtained from patients undergoing surgery for scoliosis, lumbar radiculopathy, and discogenic pain was cultured under basal and lipopolysaccharide-stimulated conditions and the medium analyzed for production of a range of pro-inflammatory mediators. OBJECTIVES: This study was conducted to confirm that the human intervertebral disc is capable of ...

The related members of the interleukin 6 (IL-6) family of cytokines, IL-6, leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF), and oncostatin M, act as major inflammatory mediators and induce the hepatic acute phase reaction. Normal parenchymal liver cells express the receptors for these cytokines, and these receptors activate, to a comparable level, the ...

BACKGROUND: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterised by chronic inflammation of the respiratory tract. METHODS: We investigated the presence of interleukin-6 (IL-6: a cytokine secreted by monocytes/macrophages, T cells, B cells, fibroblasts, bone marrow stromal cells, keratinocytes and endothelial cells) in the exhaled breath condensate of 16 exsmokers with ...

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a potent growth factor for the proliferation of multiple myeloma (MM), which accounts for 1-2% of all human cancers. In this study we investigated the effects of IL-6 in various doses on the following parameters in the human myeloma cell line OPM-2: membrane expression of IL-6 receptor ...

Inflammatory foci are rich in proteases released by neutrophils (serine proteases) and macrophages (metalloproteases). These enzymes can degrade extracellular matrix proteins and cell membrane bound proteins thus contributing to the development and progression of inflammatory reaction. In this study we have investigated the influence of collagenase (metalloprotease) and trypsin (serine ...

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways. Mast cell-derived cytokines may mediate both airway inflammation and remodeling. It has also been shown that fibroblasts can be the source of proinflammatory cytokines. In the human airways, mast cell-fibroblast interactions may have pivotal effects on modulating inflammation. To study this ...

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to quantify the cytokines interleukin (IL)-1 receptor antagonist (RA), IL-6, and transforming growth factor beta(1) found in extracts of inflammatory periapical tissues and to study the effect of a new antibiotic (linezolid) on the levels of these cytokines. STUDY DESIGN: Twenty-two patients with ...