title: Inhibitory effect of erythromycin on interleukin 8 production by 1 alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3-stimulated THP-1 cells.
abstract: We have recently reported that long-term administration of erythromycin at a low dose reduced the number of neutrophils and concentrations of interleukin 8 (IL-8) in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid in patients with chronic lower respiratory tract disease. To investigate the mechanism of action of erythromycin, we evaluated its effect on IL-8 production in the 1 alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3-stimulated human monocytic cell line THP-1. Erythromycin at a concentration of 10 micrograms/ml significantly reduced IL-8 production by THP-1 cells stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (10 ng/ml) and 1% normal human serum compared with the amount produced by untreated cells (untreated cells, 2,448 pg/ml; erythromycin-treated cells, 872 pg/ml). Our results suggest that erythromycin may impair IL-8 production by alveolar macrophages, ultimately reducing neutrophil accumulation in the airspace.
authors.affiliation: Second Department of Internal Medicine, Nagasaki University School of Medicine, Japan. immunol@net.nagasaki-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fujii
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kadota
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Morikawa
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Matsubara
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kawakami
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Iida
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Shirai
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Taniguchi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kaseda
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kawamoto
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kohno
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002117:Calcitriol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002460:Cell Line; D004917:Erythromycin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D016209:Interleukin-8 / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D009000:Monocytes / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D016209:Interleukin-8; D004917:Erythromycin; D002117:Calcitriol