Interleukin-8 is constitutively and commonly produced by various human carcinoma cell lines.
We examined the production of interleukin-8 and interleukin-6 by 30 human carcinoma cell lines. Serum levels of interleukin-8 were measured in 14 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and Northern blotting. Furthermore, serum interleukin-8 was also investigated in a nude mouse bearing a tumor of the HuH7 hepatoma cell line producing interleukin-8. Of the 30 cell lines, 29 (96.7%) constitutively produced interleukin-8, and 19 of the 29 (65.5%) were high producers (> 1 ng/ml culture supernatant). Among the high producers, 4 cell lines released both interleukin-8 and interleukin-6. Interleukin-6 was constitutively produced by 17 of the 30 (56.7%) cell lines, 4 of which (23.5%) were high producers (> 1 ng/ml). By Northern blot analysis, mRNAs of interleukin-8 and interleukin-6 were detected in producing cell lines. Of 14 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma 4 (28.5%) showed increased levels of serum interleukin-8. Furthermore, inoculation of the HuH7 hepatoma cell line which produced the highest amount of interleukin-8 into a nude mouse resulted in tumor production accompanied by an elevated level of human interleukin-8 (646 pg/ml) in the peripheral blood. Thus, interleukin-8 is constitutively and commonly produced by various carcinoma cell lines. The production of interleukin-8 by carcinoma cells may be related to the elevation of serum interleukin-8 in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. Finally, these cell lines may be valuable for studying the relationship between interleukin-8 and cancer.
Sakamoto
K
K
Department of Surgery II, Kumamoto University Medical School, Japan.
Masuda
T
T
Mita
S
S
Ishiko
T
T
Nakashima
Y
Y
Arakawa
H
H
Egami
H
H
Harada
S
S
Matsushima
K
K
Ogawa
M
M
D000818:Animals; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D016209:Interleukin-8 / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000097:blood*; D008114:Liver Neoplasms, Experimental / Q000473:pathology; D051379:Mice; D008819:Mice, Nude; D009368:Neoplasm Transplantation; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
D015850:Interleukin-6; D016209:Interleukin-8; D012333:RNA, Messenger