Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UNIPROT:P05231 (interleukin-6)
 23,907 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a pleiotropic cytokine with central roles in immune regulation, inflammation, hematopoiesis, and oncogenesis. Its biological activities are shared by IL-6-family of cytokines such as leukemia inhibitory factor and oncostatin M. When IL-6 binds to IL-6R, the IL-6/IL-6R complex then associates with gp130, the common signal transducer of cytokines related to IL-6. IL-6R does not have to be expressed on the cell surface for IL-6 signaling because soluble form of IL-6R (sIL-6R) can bind to IL-6 and function through gp130. Increased levels of IL-6 and sIL-6R have been demonstrated in both serum and intestinal tissues of the patients with active Crohn's disease. In animal model studies, anti-IL-6R monoclonal antibody (mAb) successfully prevented intestinal inflammation and systemic wasting disease by suppressing adhesion molecule expression by vascular endothelium. It also reduced colonic expression of tumor necrosis factor alpha, IL-1beta, and interferon gamma mRNA without affecting the production of transforming growth factor beta, IL-10, and IL-4. Moreover, the treatment displayed therapeutic efficacy against established colitis through the induction of lamina propria T-cell apoptosis. These results strongly suggest that specific targeting of IL-6/sIL-6R pathway will be a promising new approach for the treatment of Crohn's disease, and the clinical trial of humanized anti-IL-6R mAb has been carried out.
 ...
PMID:IL-6 and Crohn's disease. 1456 Nov 64

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a multifunctional cytokine secreted by various cells, and is involved in the acute phase response and the immune response through T and B cell activation. To further define the role of IL-6 in intestinal inflammation, we studied the effects of dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) administration in mice with targeted deletions of the IL-6 gene. Acute colitis was induced in female IL-6-/- and IL-6+/+ mice by giving 4.5% DSS orally in drinking water for 8 days. The colonic mucosal injury and inflammation was evaluated based on survival rate, body-weight changes, total colon length and histological findings. Colonic mRNA expression for tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, IL-6, IL-10 and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) was measured by RT-PCR. Colonic IL-6 mRNA levels of wild-type mice continued to increase throughout the study period. At each assessment, colonic injury was significantly attenuated in DSS-treated IL-6-/- mice compared with DSS-treated IL-6+/+ mice. Histological study also showed a reduced infiltration of inflammatory cells, especially neutrophils, and mucosal cell disruption in DSS-treated IL-6-/- mice compared with DSS-treated IL-6+/+ mice. In the colons of DSS-treated IL-6-/- mice, the expression of both TNF-alpha mRNA and iNOS mRNA was reduced on day 5. In contrast, IL-10 mRNA expression was enhanced compared with DSS-treated IL-6+/+ mice. In conclusion, DSS-induced inflammation appears to be significantly inhibited in IL-6-/- mice compared to wild-type mice. These data suggest that persistent and marked blockade of IL-6 bioactivity provides some beneficial effects on intestinal inflammation.
 ...
PMID:Reduced intestinal inflammation induced by dextran sodium sulfate in interleukin-6-deficient mice. 1525 64

Adrenomedullin (AM) administered intracolonically ameliorated the severity of acetic acid-induced colonic ulceration in rats. Ulcers were induced by subserosal injection of acetic acid into the colon. AM-treated group was administered 0.25-1.0 microg of AM in 0.5 ml of saline intracolonically once a day; the control group received only saline. AM administration dose-dependently and significantly reduced the size of the ulcerative lesions, the associated edema, and the infiltration of the affected area by inflammatory cells. AM also reduced tissue levels of interleukin-6, but not interferon-gamma. AM reduces the severity of acetic acid-induced colitis in rats, probably by inhibiting the production and/or release of Th-2 cell-derived factors such as interleukin-6.
 ...
PMID:Effect of adrenomedullin administration on acetic acid-induced colitis in rats. 1597 99

Intestinal immune responses are normally regulated to maintain a state of immune balance. Dendritic cells (DC) are antigen-presenting cells, which induce immune responses against microbes and other stimuli and are key players in the regulation of tolerance in the gut. These cells influence the differentiation of cytokine responses in T cells, and in the gut, in particular, such interactions may be critical to the course of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Using the CD45RBhi CD4+ T cell-reconstituted severe combined immunodeficient mouse model of colitis, we investigated the ability of isolated colon DC to stimulate immune responses in syngeneic and allogeneic spleen CD4+ T cells, as well as in colon T cells isolated from the same tissue as DC in IBD mice. We found that the frequency of DC in IBD mice colons and spleens was elevated in comparison with control mice, but colon and spleen DC exhibited different phenotypic and functional properties. Colon DC stimulated significantly higher levels of interferon-gamma and interleukin-6 when cocultured with autologous colon T cells than in cocultures with syngeneic or allogeneic spleen T cells. These data suggest that in the IBD colon, DC-T cell interactions may create conditions with an abundance of proinflammatory cytokines, which favor the inflammatory state.
 ...
PMID:Colon lamina propria dendritic cells induce a proinflammatory cytokine response in lamina propria T cells in the SCID mouse model of colitis. 1620 24

C-reactive protein (CRP) is an acute-phase protein that is produced in large amounts by hepatocytes, upon stimulation by the cytokines interleukin-6, tumor-necrosis-factor-alpha and interleukin-1beta, during an acute-phase response. CRP is an objective marker of inflammation and, in gastrointestinal diseases such as Crohn's disease and acute pancreatitis, its levels correlate well with clinical disease activity. In contrast to its use as a marker in Crohn's disease, however, CRP is a less reliable marker of inflammation and disease activity in patients with ulcerative colitis, except perhaps for severe, extensive colitis. The increased production of CRP after an acute-phase stimulus, such as active gut inflammation, might explain why strong anti-inflammatory agents, such as anti-tumor-necrosis-factor-alpha antibodies and other biologic agents, work particularly well in patients with increased levels of CRP. CRP is also useful as a laboratory marker to predict prognosis and relapse in patients with Crohn's disease and acute pancreatitis. Elevated CRP levels have been associated with an increased risk of colorectal cancer and are a marker of poor prognosis, indicating more advanced disease and, possibly, reduced survival. An important question that remains is how often CRP levels should be measured. Until there are more data, the use of CRP and of other biomarkers should be seen as an additional tool that aids clinical observation and physical examination, but that cannot replace it.
 ...
PMID:The role of C-reactive protein as an inflammatory marker in gastrointestinal diseases. 1632 37

Recent studies have suggested that the enhanced release of reactive oxygen species (ROS) plays an important role in the pathogenesis of clinical inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. In the present study, we investigated the effects of the free radical scavengers edaravone and tempol in the development of experimental dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis in mice. Male BALB/cA mice were fed 4% (w/w of diet) DSS in standard powder chow for 8 days. Edaravone, tempol, or vehicle saline were then injected subcutaneously twice per day. After the experimental period, the colonic length, histological damage score, and mucosal myeloperoxidase (MPO) and serum interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels were measured. Edaravone (15 mg/kg/day) and tempol (5-15 mg/kg/day) suppressed the colonic shortening and the damage score. In particular, tempol at 15 mg/kg/day significantly attenuated the colonic shortening and damage score. Edaravone and tempol suppressed the serum IL-6 levels, and significantly suppressed the increased colonic MPO levels. These results strongly support the involvement of ROS in the pathogenesis of DSS-induced colitis. A clinical effect for edaravone and tempol in IBD patients is strongly expected.
 ...
PMID:The free radical scavengers edaravone and tempol suppress experimental dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis in mice. 1639 34

Macroscopic and histological analysis revealed that the colonic inflammation induced by 2,4,6-trinitrobenzenesulphonic acid (TNBS) was of lower grade in tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha)(-/-) mice than in wild-type mice. Myeloperoxidase activity, an indicator of neutrophilic infiltration, was also low in both the mucosal and smooth muscle layer of the TNF-alpha(-/-) mouse colon. After the induction of inflammation with TNBS, the levels of proinflammatory cytokines, such as TNF-alpha, interleukin-1beta and interleukin-6, were elevated both in the inflamed mucosa and muscle layers in the wild-type mice; however, the productions of these cytokines were greatly reduced in the TNF-alpha(-/-) mouse colon. The contractions of isolated colonic smooth muscle strips induced by several stimulatory agents were significantly decreased after treatment with TNBS in wild-type mice; however, these contractions were scarcely affected in TNF-alpha(-/-) mice. Finally, using the organ culture method, we found that TNF-alpha directly (independent of mucosal inflammation) disturbs the smooth muscle function. These results suggest that TNF-alpha plays an essential role not only in mucosal inflammation but also in muscularis inflammation in the colon of mice with TNBS-induced colitis, and that TNF-alpha directly induces motor dysfunctions by acting on the smooth muscle.
 ...
PMID:Role of TNF-alpha in muscularis inflammation and motility disorder in a TNBS-induced colitis model: clues from TNF-alpha-deficient mice. 1677 64

Clostridium difficile colitis causes striking leukocytosis. We examined the possibility that toxins A or B, or other nontoxin products of C. difficile, act as superantigens, thereby stimulating leukocytosis. Our results failed to show major histocompatibility complex class II-dependent T lymphocyte proliferation, the hallmark of superantigen activity. Elevated white blood cell counts in C. difficile colitis are probably due to increased generation of cytokines such as interleukin-6 (IL-6) or IL-8.
 ...
PMID:Clostridium difficile lacks detectable superantigen activity. 1683 Dec 15

This study investigated the effects of glutamine and steroid enemas on disease activity in an animal model of colitis. Colitis was induced in male Wistar rats by intracolonic instillation of 30 mg trinitrobenzenesulphonic acid in 50% ethanol (TNBS/E). Controls were given an isovolumetric bolus of normal saline. After 24 h, animals were randomised to receive enemas (1 mL twice daily) of prednisolone (200 mg/L), or L-glutamine (500 g/L) or the suspending agent (placebo). On day 8, the colon was weighed and the degree of inflammation assessed using a colon macroscopic score (CMS). Thymic weight, splenic weight, percentage gain in body weight (%GBW), food intake, plasma interleukin-6 (IL6) and plasma alpha(2)-macroglobulin (alpha(2)M) were also determined. There was a significant increase in CMS, colon weight, splenic weight, IL6 and alpha(2)M in TNBS/E animals compared to controls (P< 0.01). There was also a significant decrease in %GBW, food intake and thymic weight in TNBS/E animals (P< 0.01). The therapeutic enema of prednisolone reduced colonic inflammation (CMS, colon weight), improved thymic weight, %GBW and food intake, and reduced plasma IL6 concentrations (P< 0.05). In contrast administration of glutamine enemas was associated with an exaggerated acute phase protein (alpha(2)M) response (P< 0.05) and failed to improve the colonic and systemic inflammatory response in this experimental model of colitis.
 ...
PMID:Topical glutamine therapy in experimental inflammatory bowel disease. 1684 44

Local inflammation in the colon has been associated with nutrient malabsorption and altered motility in the small bowel. These remote effects suggest the release of mediators which can act (or alter) the function of intestinal segments located far from the primary area of inflammation. This study describes the changes in the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the colon and in various segments of the small intestine in two rat models of experimental colitis. Colitis was induced by the intracolonic administration of 100 microL of 6% iodoacetamide or 250 microL of 2, 4, 6-trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid. Levels of interleukin one beta, interleukin 6, and tumor necrosis factor alpha were measured by ELISA in tissue homogenate sampled from duodenum, jejunum, ileum and colon at different time intervals. In homogenates of strips isolated from duodenum, jejunum and ileum, tumor necrosis alpha and interleukin-6, increased significantly 3-6 h after iodoacetamide or TNBS administration and remained elevated until the colonic inflammation subsided. Interleukin one beta showed comparable but delayed increase. Similar, but more pronounced increase of the three cytokines was noticed in areas of the colon adjacent to the ulcer. Histologic examinations revealed important inflammatory changes in the colon; however, examination of sections from the small intestines did not reveal significant differences between controls and rats with colitis. In conclusion, expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines is increased in remote segments of the small intestines during colitis. The findings may provide a partial explanation or a molecular substrate for the associated small bowel dysfunction.
 ...
PMID:Localized colonic inflammation increases cytokine levels in distant small intestinal segments in the rat. 1690 27


<< Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next >>