title: Interleukin-4 prevents mortality from acute but not chronic murine peritonitis and induces an accelerated tumor necrosis factor-alpha response.
abstract: Interleukin-4 (IL-4) demonstrates properties in vitro that suggest an anti-inflammatory role in the immune response, one of which is the inhibition of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF) release. We examined the effects of IL-4 administration on mortality and serum TNF levels in two murine models of peritonitis. Animals infected with intraperitoneal injections of Escherichia coli and Bacteroides fragilis (acute peritonitis) had a decreased mortality and earlier TNF-alpha peak when pretreated with 5,000 units IL-4. Animals infected with bacteria and a sterile fecal adjuvant (chronic peritonitis) had no alteration in mortality or serum TNF levels (which were consistently low) with IL-4 pretreatment. These data demonstrate that, under some in vivo conditions, IL-4 can significantly ameliorate a septic insult, but this effect appears to be highly model-dependent and not clearly related to its effects on TNF-alpha.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor 48109, USA.
authors.forename: R G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Sawyer
authors.forename: L K
authors.initials: LK
authors.lastname: Rosenlof
authors.forename: T L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Pruett
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D010538:Peritonitis / Q000097:blood / Q000401:mortality / Q000517:prevention & control*; D015996:Survival Rate; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D015847:Interleukin-4