Does interleukin-1 induce prostacyclin synthesis in endothelial and smooth muscle cells?
Interleukin-1 induces prostacyclin synthesis in vascular cells, highlighting a novel immune-vascular interaction with potential implications for antithrombotic therapy.
Supernatants from cultures of human monocytes that had been stimulated with endotoxin or silica induced the synthesis of prostacyclin in endothelial and smooth muscle cells. The lymphokine mediating these effects on the cells of the blood vessel wall was identified as interleukin-1; interferons and interleukin-2 were inactive. Interleukin-1-induced prostacyclin synthesis represents a new aspect of the interaction between the immune system (as well as other tissues) and the vessel wall and may serve as a basis for the development of new strategies in antithrombotic therapy.
Rossi et al. (Fri,) studied this question.