Effects of antimurine interleukin-6 on bacterial translocation during gut-derived sepsis.
BACKGROUND
Recent studies have shown that interleukin-6 (IL-6) is involved in the systemic changes that are associated with infection and tissue injury and that there is a correlation between high levels of IL-6 and poor outcome during several pathologic conditions.


OBJECTIVE
The effects of antimurine IL-6 antibody on survival and host defense were studied in a clinically relevant model of infection.


METHODS
Balb/c mice were treated with 10 micrograms of antimurine interleukin-6, a nonspecific mouse IgG, or placebo 1 hour before they underwent bacterial challenge by gavage of 10(10) Escherichia coli and burn injury. Survival and the extent of translocation of E coli were determined as well as the correlation between the IL-6 levels and survival times.


RESULTS
Survival after burn and gavage was 90% in animals treated with antimurine interleukin-6 vs 50% in animals treated with nonspecific IgG and 30% in saline-treated controls. A significant correlation between the levels of IL-6 and survival time was observed. Less translocation and better killing of bacteria were observed in the tissues of animals treated with antimurine interleukin-6.


CONCLUSIONS
Interleukin-6 appears to play a major role in both the intensity of translocation of E coli from the intestine following burn injury and the host's ability to kill translocated organisms. Improved outcome was associated with a reduction of IL-6 levels by anti-IL-6 antibody.
Department of Surgery, University of Cincinnati, Ohio.
R
R
Gennari
J W
JW
Alexander
T
T
Pyles
S
S
Hartmann
C K
CK
Ogle
D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D002056:Burns / Q000276:immunology; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000502:physiology; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D016014:Linear Models; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D011897:Random Allocation; D018805:Sepsis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology
D015850:Interleukin-6