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

We recently reported that human recombinant interleukin-6 (hrIL-6) microinjected into the preoptic area (POA) of guinea pigs induced fever at high doses, suggesting that IL-6 may be another endogenous pyrogen. This study was undertaken to determine whether hrIL-6 affects the single-unit activity of thermosensitive and thermally insensitive neurons in hypothalamic tissue slices and whether indomethacin (Indo) or naloxone (Nal), a cyclooxygenase inhibitor and a mu-opioid receptor antagonist, respectively, influences the effects of hrIL-6 on those neurons. hrIL-6 (2 x 10(3)-8 x 10(3) U/ml) depressed the activity in 50 (83%) of 60 warm-sensitive (W) neurons and excited all 4 cold-sensitive (C) neurons found. It had no effect, however, on 14 (48%) of 29 thermally insensitive (I) neurons, albeit 7 and 8 I neurons decreased and increased their firing rates, respectively. Indo (0.05-1 mg/ml) blocked the effect of hrIL-6 on 22 of 24 W neurons and 2 C neurons tested. Nal(0.1-1 mg/ml) blocked or reduced the effect of hrIL-6 on 21 of 25 W neurons and 1 C neuron recorded. These drugs induced no neuronal response per se. Nal at 2-5 mg/ml, which increased the activity of four W neurons by itself, reversed their depressed response to hrIL-6. These results support the possibility that IL-6-induced fevers may be mediated through an effect on thermosensitive neurons in the POA and that opioids and prostaglandin E may both be involved in this process.
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PMID:Hypothalamic neuronal responses to interleukin-6 in tissue slices: effects of indomethacin and naloxone. 150 50

Though opioid receptors are more difficult to purify and characterize than other cell surface receptors, significant progress has been made in the past several years. At least a dozen groups have now reported purification of opioid-binding proteins, either in a form that retains ligand-binding properties, or in a covalently bound form. Although there are some discrepancies in the molecular weights of these proteins, it is significant that many investigators have reported a molecular weight of about 60 kd for the receptor, regardless of whether it is of the mu, delta, or kappa type. This finding, together with immunological evidence, suggests that different opioid receptor types may be highly similar, and could conceivably even share a common ligand-binding subunit. Several groups have prepared monoclonal or polyclonal antibodies to purified opioid-binding proteins, which should be useful in mapping the brain regional distribution of the opioid receptors, determining the regions in the peptide involved in ligand binding and association with second messengers, and in determining the relationships among different opioid receptor types. One group has in fact already established an antigenic similarity between a mu-selective opioid-binding protein in mammalian brain, and the delta opioid receptor in NG108-15 neuroblastoma-glioma hybrid cells. One group has reported cloning of the cDNA for a purified opioid-binding protein. Somewhat surprisingly, its predicted amino acid sequence places it in the immunoglobulin superfamily, with strongest homologies to cell-adhesion molecules such as N-CAM. MAG, amalgam and fasciclin II, as well as receptors for peptides such as PDGF and interleukin-6. However, this is consistent with evidence that opioids can modulate cell-cell interactions of monocytes, and provides further support for links between opioids and the immune system. The second messengers mediating opioid actions are still unknown. Opioid agonists affect the activity of adenylate cyclase and ion channels in some tissues, but neither has been shown to mediate opioid analgesia. The sequence homologies of the purified opioid-binding protein OBCAM with tyrosine kinase growth factor receptors suggest additional possibilities for second messengers.
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PMID:Molecular characterization of opioid receptors. 216 Jul 90

It has been shown previously that opioids induce antinociceptive effects at peripheral sites in the presence of inflammatory processes. Besides being elicited by local injection of opioids, such effects can also be obtained by activation of intrinsic opioid mechanisms, e.g. following stress. In the present study the possible role of cytokines in this mechanism was investigated. Unilateral inflammation of the hindpaw of rats was induced by local injection of Freund's complete adjuvant. Intraplantar injection of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha) or interleukin-6 induced a dose-dependent increase in the threshold in the paw pressure test in the inflamed but not in the non-inflamed paw. This increase was prevented by local injection of naloxone and the mu-opioid receptor specific antagonist CTOP (D-Phe-Cys-Tyr-D-Trp-Arg-Thr-Pen-Thr-NH2) as well as by 3-E7, an universal opioid peptide antibody. In rats pretreated with cyclosporin A to suppress the immune system, the antinociceptive effect of TNF alpha was completely inhibited. In concert with previous studies these data indicate that the tested cytokines release opioid peptides (e.g. beta-endorphin and/or enkephalins) from immune cells of the inflamed tissue which act on opioid receptors present on sensory nerve terminals, resulting in antinociception.
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PMID:Peripheral mechanisms of opioid antinociception in inflammation: involvement of cytokines. 828 87

Chronic use of morphine affects the immune system and predisposes an individual to opportunistic infections. Macrophages play an important role in conferring a first line of defense against invading pathogens. Understanding the mechanisms by which morphine affects the functioning of macrophages would have significant therapeutic benefit in treatment against infections such as HIV and AIDS related syndromes. Two of the major cytokines secreted by activated macrophages are Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha). Our studies show that morphine differentially modulates lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced expression of IL-6 and TNF-alpha. Nanomolar concentrations of morphine synergize with LPS and augment the secretion of both IL-6 and TNF-alpha. However, at micromolar concentrations morphine inhibits LPS induced synthesis of IL-6 and TNF-alpha. Expression of both these cytokine genes is dependent on the activation of a transcription factor, NF kappa B. Interestingly, morphine treatment also modulated the activation of NF kappa B by LPS. Pretreatment with a low dose of morphine (nanomolar) resulted in an increase in NF kappa B activation. In contrast pretreatment with a high dose of morphine (micromolar) led to a significant decrease in NF kappa B activation. Furthermore unlike the augmentation which was naloxone reversible, the inhibition of NF kappa B by morphine was not reversed by naloxone, suggesting the involvement of a nonclassical opioid receptor.
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PMID:Morphine modulates NF kappa B activation in macrophages. 957 Nov 61

Previous studies by our group have demonstrated that in vitro exposure to delta-opioid receptor agonists results in a significant immunostimulation, whereas in vitro exposure to non-peptidic delta-opioid receptor antagonists results in significant suppression of various immune functions. The present study assessed potential immunomodulation by the peptidic delta-opioid receptor antagonists TIPP, D-TIPP, and ICI 174864 using a panel of in vitro immune function assays. Splenocytes from female B6C3F1 mice were cultured with the peptides at concentrations of 0.00001-10 microM. B cell proliferation was quantified following cellular activation, T cell function was assessed by cytokine production following stimulation with anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody, natural immunity was assessed by quantitating natural killer (NK) cell activity following a 24-h exposure, and macrophage function was assessed by quantification of interleukin-6 (IL-6) production. None of the peptides examined significantly affected B cell proliferation. Production of IL-2 by T cells was not consistently affected by exposure to either TIPP or D-TIPP, but was significantly suppressed at 10 microM ICI 174864. Production of IL-4, however, was significantly suppressed by low concentrations of either TIPP or D-TIPP, and by 10 microM ICI 174864. IL-6 production by macrophages was unaffected except for sporadic incidents of enhanced production in cells exposed to ICI 174864. NK cell function exhibited a differential pattern of suppression, with the greatest degree of suppression observed following exposure to TIPP and only slight suppression in cells exposed to either D-TIPP or ICI 174864. These data suggest that peptidic delta-opioid receptor antagonists do not exhibit the same pattern or degree of immunosuppressive activity as the non-peptidic antagonists at equivalent in vitro concentrations.
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PMID:In vitro exposure to peptidic delta opioid receptor antagonists results in limited immunosuppression. 957 44

Sufentanil is a synthetic mu-opioid receptor agonist frequently used in anesthesia and critically ill patients. To evaluate the effects of sufentanil on the inflammatory, neuroendocrine, and metabolic responses to endotoxin, we studied six dogs during saline infusion (control), during sufentanil infusion (1.5 microg . kg-1 . h-1), after endotoxin injection (1.0 microg/kg iv), and during combined endotoxin and sufentanil administration. The rate of appearance of glucose was determined by infusion of [6,6-2H2]glucose. Sufentanil depressed the endotoxin-induced increase in body temperature (36.9 +/- 0.3 vs. 40.6 +/- 0.5 degrees C, P < 0.05). Sufentanil depressed the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) response to endotoxin by approximately 60% (P < 0.01) but increased the interleukin-6 (IL-6) response by approximately 70% (P < 0.01). Sufentanil per se induced a transient neuroendocrine activation. Sufentanil also increased plasma concentrations of insulin and catecholamines after endotoxin (P < 0.05 vs. endotoxin alone) and increased plasma glucose levels by approximately 36% (from 6.1 +/- 0.1 to 8.3 +/- 0.6 mmol/l, P < 0.05 vs. endotoxin alone). Endotoxin stimulated glucose production transiently by 95% (24.2 +/- 3.2 vs. control 12.4 +/- 1.0 micromol . kg-1 . min-1, P < 0.05). Paradoxically, sufentanil inhibited this endotoxin-induced stimulation of glucose production (P < 0.05 vs. endotoxin alone). In conclusion, sufentanil modulates the response to intravenous endotoxin by dissociating the TNF and IL-6 response, increasing insulin and catecholamine levels, and depressing the increase in glucose production. Therefore, opiates alter inflammatory, endocrine, and metabolic regulation in endotoxemia.
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PMID:The opiate sufentanil alters the inflammatory, endocrine, and metabolic responses to endotoxin in dogs. 972 10

The effects of methionine-enkephalin on the production of interleukin-6 by activated peritoneal murine macrophages were studied. Macrophage were activated with interleukin-1beta or interferon-gamma in the presence or absence of graded concentrations of methionine-enkephalin. Methionine-enkephalin combined with interleukin-1beta or interferon-gamma caused an increase in IL-6 release from cultured macrophages. The opioid receptor antagonist naloxone did not change the stimulatory effect of methionine-enkephalin on IL-6 production by stimulated macrophages. Methionine-enkephalin added to the culture medium of resting macrophages increased IL-6 release from macrophages which were later induced with interleukin-1beta or interferon-gamma. The results of this study suggest that methionine-enkephalin can modulate the proinflammatory cytokine response by controlling, via non-opioid receptor mechanism, the production of IL-6.
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PMID:Augmenting effect of methionine-enkephalin on interleukin-6 production by cytokine-stimulated murine macrophages. 1102 79

Three classes of opioid receptors--mu, delta, and kappa--mediate physiological and pharmacological functions of the endogenous opioid peptides and exogenous opioid compounds in the central nervous system (CNS), as well as in peripheral tissues including the immune system. Using reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis, we show that freshly isolated and highly purified somatic (Sertoli and Leydig) and specific germ (spermatogonia, pachytene spermatocytes, round, and elongating spermatids) cells of the rat testis differentially express the mRNAs for these opioid receptor genes. Furthermore, to identify a functional mechanism for cytokine regulation of testicular opioid receptor gene expression, we employed primary Sertoli cells as a model system. In a semiquantitative PCR analysis using the S16 ribosomal RNA gene as an internal control, we show that interleukin-6 reduces kappa opioid receptor mRNA levels from 6 to 24 h of treatment in primary Sertoli cells. This regulation requires new RNA and protein synthesis and is partially mediated by the protein kinase A pathway. These findings are consistent with a role for the cytokine and opioid signaling pathways in Sertoli cellular function and the interaction that exists between the opioid and the immune systems in the CNS.
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PMID:Interleukin-6 regulation of kappa opioid receptor gene expression in primary sertoli cells. 1105 Oct 42

Administration of morphine (10 mg/kg) to rats was found to decrease the proliferative potential of blood lymphocytes by 60-80% and concurrently elevate circulating levels of the cytokine, interleukin-6 (IL-6), 2- to 4-fold. Both parameters were similarly altered upon the central administration of morphine and were blocked upon pretreatment of animals with the opioid receptor antagonist, naltrexone. These results suggest that the activation of central opioid receptors is involved in morphine-induced inhibition of lymphocyte proliferation as well as increases in circulating levels of IL-6. Studies addressing the potential peripheral mechanisms demonstrated that intact ganglionic transmission was required for both effects of morphine. Although the suppression by morphine of lymphocyte proliferation appeared to be largely independent of stimulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, the elevation of IL-6 was completely abolished in adrenalectomized animals. Collectively, these results suggest that central opioid receptor activation results in changes in different immune parameters that can be mediated through distinct peripheral mechanisms.
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PMID:Acute effects of morphine on blood lymphocyte proliferation and plasma IL-6 levels. 1126 6

The endogenous opioid system has been found to be involved in fever caused by pyrogens. Recent work in our laboratory has demonstrated that the mu-opioid receptor is involved in interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta)- and in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced fevers. In the present study, we have investigated the role of the mu-opioid receptor in the preoptic anterior hypothalamus (POAH) in fever induced by interleukin-6 (IL-6). Following stereotaxic implantation of a guide cannula into the POAH for microinjection, radio transmitters to monitor body temperature (Tb) continuously were inserted intraperitoneally. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were microinjected with 0.5 microg of the selective mu-opioid receptor antagonist, cyclic D-phe-Cys-Try-D-Trp-Arg-Thr-Pen-Thr-NH2 (CTAP), into the POAH. Thirty min later, IL-6 (100 ng) was injected into the POAH. CTAP significantly blocked the IL-6 fever. CTAP alone had no effect on Tb during the 390-min recording period. These data indicate that mu-opioid receptors within the POAH mediate IL-6 fever and add to the increasing evidence that the opioid system is involved in the pathogenesis of fever in rats.
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PMID:Effect of a mu-opioid receptor-selective antagonist on interleukin-6 fever. 1200 6


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