Human intestinal epithelial and smooth muscle cells are potent producers of IL-6

• Main Authors: Edmond K. Ng, Ninder Panesar, Walter E. Longo, Marc J. Shapiro, Donald L. Kaminski, Kym C. Tolman, John E. Mazuski
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hindawi Limited 2003-01-01
• Series: Mediators of Inflammation
• Subjects: Interleukein-6; Interleukin-1; Tumor necrosis factor; Cytokines; Intestine; Epithelium; Smooth muscle; CCL-241; HISM.
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0962935031000096917

Background: Interleukin-6 (IL-6), a pluripotent cytokine, has traditionally been considered the product of proinflammatory cells. However, many other cell types have been shown to produce IL-6. Since intestinal inflammation is commonly associated with a vigorous systemic inflammatory response, we hypothesized that intestinal epithelial and smooth muscle cells might contribute to that response by producing IL-6. We therefore studied the capacity of differentiated human intestinal epithelial and smooth muscle cell lines to produce IL-6 in response to various proinflammatory stimuli.