Role of Interleukin 6 (IL-6) in protection from Lethal Irradiation and inEndocrine Responses to IL-1 and Tumor Necrosis Factor

摘要

Primary responsibility for the induction of various acute phase reactions hasbeen ascribed to interleukin 1 (IL-1), tumor necrosis factor (TNF), or IL-6, suggesting that these cytokines may have many overlapping activities. Thus, it is difficult to identify the cytokine primarily responsible for a particular biologic effect, since IL-1 and TNF stimulate one another, and both IL-1 and TNF stimulate IL-6. In this work, the contribution of IL-6 in radioprotection, induction of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), and induction of hypoglycemia was assessed by blocking IL-6 activity. Administration of anti-IL-6 antibody to otherwise untreated mice greatly enhanced the incidence of radiation-induced mortality, indicating that like IL-1 and TNF, IL-6 also contributes to innate resistance to radiation. Anti-IL-6 antibody given to IL-1-treated or TNF-treated mice reduced survival from lethal irradiation, demonstrating that IL-6 is also an