Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 1992 Feb;51(2):198-202.
doi: 10.1136/ard.51.2.198.

Production and modulation of interleukin 6 synthesis by synoviocytes derived from patients with arthritic disease

J T Rosenbaum  1 , R Cugnini, D C Tara, S Hefeneider, J C Ansel
Affiliations

Production and modulation of interleukin 6 synthesis by synoviocytes derived from patients with arthritic disease

J T Rosenbaum et al. Ann Rheum Dis. 1992 Feb.

Abstract

Interleukin 6 (IL-6) is a potent cytokine, the biological activities of which include the stimulation of immunoglobulin secretion, T cell activation, induction of the acute phase response, activation of megakaryocytes, and pyrogenicity. These biological activities make it a plausible contributor to rheumatoid arthritis. The ability of synoviocytes to synthesise this potential mediator of inflammation was tested. Cultures of fibroblast-like cells were established from joint tissue from patients with rheumatoid arthritis, degenerative joint disease, or trauma. Supernatants from synoviocytes from each diagnostic category contained IL-6-like activity as detected in a B9 plasmacytoma cell proliferation assay. Supernatants from IL-1 stimulated synoviocytes from patients with rheumatoid arthritis (n = 5) contained an average of 70,000 U/ml IL-6. Western blot analysis confirmed that these supernatants contained peptides that reacted with a highly specific antibody to IL-6. A cDNA probe specific for IL-6 hybridised with mRNA derived from synoviocytes representative of each disease state. Interleukin 6 mRNA expression increased by culturing synoviocytes in the presence of 10% calf serum, IL-1 (30 U/ml), insulin (166 ng/ml), or basic fibroblast growth factor (16 ng/ml). In contrast, dexamethasone (10(-6) mol/l) suppressed the ability of IL-1 to increase the expression of IL-6 mRNA. Recombinant IL-6 itself did not detectably upregulate its own message. The regulation of production of IL-6 by synoviocytes may be important in the pathogenesis of joint inflammation.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. J Exp Med. 1985 Jan 1;161(1):210-22 - PubMed
    1. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1987 Dec;84(24):9035-9 - PubMed
    1. Arthritis Rheum. 1990 Apr;33(4):493-500 - PubMed
    1. Ann Rheum Dis. 1990 Jun;49 Suppl 1:434-9 - PubMed
    1. J Clin Invest. 1987 Sep;80(3):786-96 - PubMed

Publication types