Expression of interleukin-6 and its effect on the cell growth of gastric carcinoma cell lines

The expression and the effect of IL-6 were examined in human gastric carcinoma cell lines to determine whether IL-6 serves as a growth stimulator. The expression of IL-6 mRNA was detected in three (TMK-1, MKN-1, MKN-7) of 8 gastric carcinoma cell lines. All three cell lines secreted IL-6 into the culture fluid, in large amounts in the cases of MKN-1 and MKN-7 cells. Scatchard plot analysis of IL-6 binding revealed that MKN-1 and MKN-7 cells had both high- and low-affinity receptors. Cell growth of MKN-1 and MKN-7 cells was stimulated by IL-6, while anti-IL-6 antibody inhibited growth. The expression of IL-1 alpha mRNA by these three cell lines was induced by IL-6. IL-1 alpha increased the expression of mRNA for IL-6 by TMK-1 cells. These findings indicate that IL-6 induced by IL-1 alpha is an autocrine growth factor for some gastric carcinomas.

The in vivo anti-tumor effect of human recombinant interleukin-6

Administration of recombinant interleukin-6 (IL-6) was found to induce in vivo generation of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) against syngeneic transplantable erythroleukemia (FBL-3) in lymph node cells and peritoneal exudate cells (PEC) in C57BL/6 mice. Furthermore, 15 out of 16 C57BL/6 mice injected with 5 x 10(6) viable FBL-3 cells survived on day 100 when they were treated with 5 x 10(4) U of recombinant IL-6 three times a day on days 1, 2, 3, 5, 7 and 9 after the inoculation of tumor cells (the cure rate was 94%). Cured mice could reject the tumor cells rapidly after the re-inoculation of a large number of live FBL-3 cells. In contrast, all normal mice died of tumor development by day 10. In these cured mice, FBL-3-specific CD4-8+ CTL cells were found to be generated in PEC, spleen and lymph node cells by either in vivo or in vitro re-stimulation with FBL-3 cells, but lymphokine-activated killer cells never developed. The results suggested that the anti-tumor effect of IL-6 was mediated by in vivo induction of tumor-specific CTL.

Enhancement of antiproliferative effects of interleukin-1beta and tumor necrosis factor-alpha on human prostate cancer LNCaP cells by coculture with normal fibroblasts through secreted interleukin-6

The cell-cell interactions between tumor cells and stromal cells are considered to be important in the regulation of tumor development at primary and metastatic secondary sites. We studied the effects of various cytokines on the cell-cell interactions between androgen-dependent LNCaP or androgen-independent PC-3 human prostate cancer cell lines and normal fibroblasts using a co-culture system. Among the tested combinations of cytokines and fibroblasts, strong modulations of cytokine actions were seen in coculture with human normal fibroblasts WI-38. While interleukin (IL)-1beta or tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) partially suppressed LNCaP cell growth in monoculture, each cytokine completely inhibited it in the case of coculture with WI-38 cells. On the other hand, they did not inhibit PC-3 cell growth significantly, regardless of monoculture or coculture. Conditioned medium prepared from WI-38 cells pretreated with IL-1beta or TNF-alpha also strongly inhibited LNCaP cell growth. In the conditioned medium, marked IL-6 secretion was induced from WI-38 cells by IL-1beta or TNF-alpha. Furthermore, neutralizing antibodies to IL-6 or IL-6 receptor abrogated the antiproliferative effects of IL-1beta- and TNF-alpha-pretreated WI-38 conditioned medium. These results demonstrate that the antiproliferative effects of IL-1beta and TNF-alpha on prostate cancer cells are enhanced by coculture with normal fibroblasts through some diffusible factor(s), such as IL-6, from the stimulated fibroblasts.

Cytokine production in five tumor cell lines with activity to induce cancer cachexia syndrome in nude mice

To identify the so-called toxohormone, which is a tumor-derived factor with activity to induce cancer cachexia syndrome in tumor-bearing animals, 5 human cancer cell lines with this activity were studied for cytokine production. Tumor cell products with activity to inhibit lipoprotein lipase (LPL) were shown to play an important role in the development of the cancer cachexia syndrome. All culture media conditioned by the 5 cell lines possessed LPL-inhibitory activity. However, the activity differed with the cell line. In order to characterize the activity, we examined whether the cultured cells produced cytokines with activity to inhibit LPL. A melanoma cell line, SEKI, and a neuroepithelioma cell line, NAGAI, were found to express a large amount of leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) mRNA. Furthermore, both of these cell lines were demonstrated to produce a large amount of LIF protein, and plasma levels of LIF were extremely elevated in SEKI- and NAGAI-bearing nude mice, indicating that LIF produced by the tumor cells induced cancer cachexia syndrome in the animals. Thus, LIF fulfills the requirements for a toxohormone, except for suppressive activity on liver catalase. In contrast, the mechanisms responsible for cachexia in the MKN-1-, LX-1- and LS180-bearing mice remain unknown. These findings suggest that various types of bioactive substances produced by cancer cells could be toxohormones.

Prevention of trauma/hemorrhagic shock-induced lung apoptosis by IL-6-mediated activation of Stat3

Acute lung injury (ALI) occurs in up to 37% of patients following trauma/hemorrhagic shock (T/HS) and, in other settings, is due to alveolar epithelial cell (AEC) apoptosis. To determine if AEC apoptosis is a key contributor to ALI following T/HS and whether or not signal transducer and activator of translation (Stat)3 activation can prevent it, rats were pretreated with a Stat3 inhibitor or placebo and subjected to T/HS or sham protocol and resuscitated without or with interleukin (IL)-6. T/HS induced apoptosis in up to 15% of lung cells, 82% of which were AEC. Apoptosis increased with increasing duration of shock and required resuscitation. IL-6 treatment stimulated lung Stat3 activation and prevented AEC apoptosis. Pretreatment of rats with a Stat3 inhibitor blocked the antiapoptotic effect of IL-6. Mice deficient in Stat3 beta, a naturally occurring dominant negative isoform of Stat3, were resistant to T/HS-induced lung apoptosis. T/HS altered the expression of 87% of apoptosis-related genes. IL-6 treatment normalized expression of 75% of the genes altered by T/HS; Stat3 inhibition prevented normalization of 65% of the gene whose expression was normalized by IL-6. Thus, T/HS-induced AEC apoptosis, which depended on the duration of hypotension, required resuscitation and was prevented by IL-6-mediated activation of Stat3, which acted to normalize the apoptosis transcriptome.

Vaccination effect of interleukin-6-producing pancreatic cancer cells in nude mice: a model of tumor prevention and treatment in immune-compromised patients

In an effort to explore properties important in hematogenous metastasis of pancreatic adenocarcinoma, we previously demonstrated that tumor-derived interleukin (IL)-6 is a crucial factor that conveys resistance to liver metastasis. Here we extend the study to examine a possible vaccination effect of tumor-derived IL-6 in T-cell-deficient nude mice, as a model for predicting the effect in immune-compromised patients. We used a pair of IL-6-nonproducing and highly producing pancreatic adenocarcinoma cell lines, PCI-43 and PCI-43h, respectively. The reaction intensity of anti-PCI IgG antibodies in host nude mice was maximal 28 days after inoculation of PCI-43h cells, and remained high thereafter. A fraction of the pancreatic carcinoma cell lines, namely, PCI-6, -10, and -43, expressed surface antigenic determinant(s) reactive with the IgG; but the others, PCI-19, -24, -55, -64, -66, -68, -72, and -79, did not. Inoculation of PCI-43h but not PCI-43 suppressed growth of simultaneously inoculated PCI-43, but not PCI-24 xenografts. In addition, administration of PCI-43h, but not PCI-43 suppressed the growth of PCI-43 that was xenografted 4 weeks later, thus revealing a vaccination effect of IL-6-producing PCI-43h, but not IL-6-nonproducing PCI-43. These data, obtained from T-cell-deficient nude mice, suggest an in vivo role for IL-6 in inducing IgG-mediated, pancreatic carcinoma-specific vaccination against a thymus-independent antigen.

Mouse anti-human interleukin-6 receptor monoclonal antibody inhibits proliferation of fresh human myeloma cells in vitro

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a major growth factor in multiple myeloma. We investigated the effect of mouse anti-human IL-6 receptor monoclonal antibody (anti-IL-6R mAb) on the in vitro proliferation of freshly isolated myeloma cells from 21 patients to evaluate the therapeutic potential. The addition of anti-IL-6R mAb inhibited more than 30% of the spontaneous proliferation of myeloma cells in 9 of 21 cases in a dose- (0.1 to 20 micrograms/ml) and time-dependent manner. The inhibitory effects of anti-IL-6R mAb did not differ significantly from that of anti-IL-6 mAb, and were correlated with the extent of the response of myeloma cells to IL-6. Flow cytometric analysis showed that all myeloma cells expressed IL-6R, whose intensity was not correlated with either the extent of response of myeloma cells to IL-6 or the inhibitory effects of anti-IL-6R mAb on proliferation of myeloma cells. Although our study showed heterogeneity in the proliferative responses of myeloma cells to IL-6 and anti-IL-6R mAb, these observations suggest the possibility of using anti-IL-6R mAbs for treating some patients with multiple myeloma whose growth depends on IL-6.

Interleukin-6 and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor synergistically increase peripheral blood progenitor cells in myelosuppressive mice

We previously reported a successful peripheral blood stem cell harvest by co-administration of recombinant human (rh) interleukin-6 (IL-6) and rh granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) in normal mice. In the present study, to evaluate further the utility of this observation for autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation, we examined the effects of rhIL-6 and rhG-CSF on peripheral blood granulocyte-macrophage colony-forming units (CFU-GM) in carboplatin (CBDCA)-induced and irradiation-induced myelosuppressive mouse models. After CBDCA administration, blood cell counts decreased to the nadir, and then recovered to a normal level. In this recovery phase, the peripheral CFU-GM level increased to 3.8-fold higher than the pretreatment level. Administration of rhIL-6 (10 microgram/day) alone induced a 40-fold increase in peripheral CFU-GM from the normal level at day 14. In combination with rhG-CSF (0.35 microgram/day), which alone induced a 74-fold increase, rhIL-6 synergistically increased the CFU-GM level by 1200-fold. In irradiated mice, similar results were observed. Administration of rhIL-6 at 3 and 10 microgram/day significantly increased CFU-GM. Interestingly, in combination with rhG-CSF, a lower dose of rhIL-6 (1 microg/day) could induce CFU-GM increase. We also examined CFU-GM distribution in bone marrow, spleen and peripheral blood. Cytokine administration induced not only a change of CFU-GM distribution, but also an increase in total CFU-GM counts per mouse. These results suggest that co-administration of rhIL-6 and rhG-CSF may be useful for autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation.

Enhancement of in vivo antitumor activity of a novel antimitotic 1-phenylpropenone derivative, AM-132, by tumor necrosis factor-alpha or interleukin-6

TK5048 and its derivatives, AM-132, AM-138, and AM-97, are recently developed antimitotic (AM) compounds. These 1-phenylpropenone derivatives induce cell cycle arrest at the G2 / M phase of the cell cycle. TK5048 inhibited tubulin polymerization in human lung cancer PC-14 cells in a concentration-dependent manner. In a polymerization assay using bovine brain tubulin, AM-132 and AM-138 were quite strong, AM-97 was moderately strong, and TK5048 was a relatively weak inhibitor of tubulin polymerization. A murine leukemia cell line resistant to a sulfonamide antimitotic agent, E7010, which binds to colchicine-binding sites on tubulin, was cross-resistant to the in vitro growth-inhibitory effect of AM compounds. Inhibition of tubulin polymerization is therefore one of the mechanisms of action of these AM compounds against tumor cells. To profile the antitumor effect of AM compounds, the in vivo antitumor effect of AM-132 was evaluated against cytokine-secreting Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC). Tumor-bearing mice were treated with intravenous AM-132 using three different treatment schedules. LLC tumors expressing tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), or interleukin (IL)-6 were very sensitive to AM-132. In particular, LLC tumors expressing IL-6 were markedly reduced by AM-132 treatment, and showed coloring of the tumor surface and unusual hemorrhagic necrosis. These results suggest a combined effect of AM-132 and cytokines on the blood supply to tumors.

Analysis of serum cytokine levels in primary biliary cirrhosis patients and healthy adults

By using commercially available ELISA kits, serum IL-6 and TNF-alpha levels in healthy adults, and the levels of various cytokines in patients with primary biliary cirrhosis or chronic viral liver diseases, were investigated. IL-6 levels of healthy subjects were distributed in a wide range, and the distribution pattern was similar to those of the patients. TNF-alpha levels tended to be low in females in their 30s, but there were no abnormalities in the patients. Characteristic findings, in the primary biliary cirrhosis patients, were an increase of IFN-gamma and IL-2 levels, and a decrease of GM-CSF levels (P < 0.05). IL-8 levels were higher in the patients than in the healthy subjects (P < 0.05), and the increase was remarkable in chronic viral liver disease patients. We believe that measurement of serum cytokine levels as a clinical immunological test is highly useful. Further development of simpler, more rapid, and more sensitive analysis methods is desired.