Abstract
Background: Kidney mesangial cells are capable of producing and responding to interleukin 6 (IL-6). In experimental glomerulonephritis mesangial cell proliferation correlates with increased IL-6 production. To investigate the involvement of IL-6 in post-nephrectomy compensatory hypertrophy, we studied the capacity of mesangial cells from single remaining kidneys to secrete IL-6 in culture. Methods: Mesangial cells were obtained from uni-nephrectomized or sham-nephrectomized Charles River rats. Cell cultures were maintained for 8 days in DMEM/FI2HAM medium supplemented with IL-1 of interferon (IFN). IL-6 production was measured using an ID6-dependent B9 human hybridoma cell line. Results: IL-6 production by mesangial cells from normal kidneys was significantly enhanced by IL-1, compared to unstimulated cells (p<0.01), and the increase was significantly greater in mesangial cells from a single remaining kidney (p<0.01). All cultures grown in control medium or with addition of IFN produced similar mounts of IL-6. Conclusion: Mesangial cells from single remaining kidneys in culture maintain an exaggerated capacity to produce IL-6 in response to IL-1. IL-6 was reported to enhance or inhibit mesangial cell proliferation in vitro. We suggest that the local over production of IL-6 by a single remaining kidney may play a role in regulating a sequence of physiological events in compensatory renal growth, initially stimulating mesangial cell proliferation and later blunting the process.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 199-202 |
Number of pages | 4 |
Journal | Journal of Nephrology |
Volume | 11 |
Issue number | 4 |
State | Published - Jul 1998 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Interleukin 6
- Mesangium
- Nephrectomy