Abstract
The effects of interleukin-18 (IL-18), a putative member of the IL-1 family, were investigated on basal and stimulated release of corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) and prostanoids from rat hypothalamic explants and glial cells in vitro. We found that IL-18 decreases basal and KCl-stimulated CRH release from the hypothalamus. IL-18 also reduced CRH gene expression after 1- and 3-h incubation. The cytokine did not modify basal PGE2 production by hypothalamic explants but abolished production stimulated by IL-1beta. Similar effects were also observed on cultured glial cells. The present findings show that IL-18 possesses a profile of in vitro neuroendocrine activities opposing to, and even antagonizing, those of IL-1beta.
MeSH terms
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Animals
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Astrocytes / immunology
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Astrocytes / metabolism
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Cells, Cultured
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Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone / antagonists & inhibitors*
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Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone / genetics
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Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone / metabolism*
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Dinoprostone / antagonists & inhibitors
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Dinoprostone / metabolism
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Dose-Response Relationship, Immunologic
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Gene Expression Regulation / immunology
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Humans
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Hypothalamus / cytology
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Hypothalamus / immunology*
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Hypothalamus / metabolism
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Interleukin-1 / antagonists & inhibitors*
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Interleukin-1 / physiology
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Interleukin-18 / physiology*
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Male
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Microglia / immunology
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Microglia / metabolism
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Organ Culture Techniques
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Rats
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Rats, Wistar
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Stress, Physiological / immunology
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Stress, Physiological / metabolism
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Stress, Physiological / physiopathology
Substances
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Interleukin-1
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Interleukin-18
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Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone
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Dinoprostone