title: The gut as a source of inflammatory cytokines after stimulation with endotoxin.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To find out if endotoxin (LPS) can mediate the production of inflammatory cytokines by enterocytes.
  
  
  METHODS
  Laboratory experiment.
  
  
  METHODS
  Teaching hospital and burns unit, USA.
  
  
  METHODS
  Caco-2 cells (HTB38, human adenocarcinoma, and colon).
  
  
  METHODS
  Concentrations of tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin 6 (IL-6) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) in cell culture supernatants.
  
  
  RESULTS
  LPS significantly increased the production of TNF from 8.9 to 26.4 units/ml in 24 h and this increase persisted at a lower level for 4 days with an increase from 2.3 to 9 units/ml at a cell concentration of 2 x 10(5) cells/ml. There was no increase in TNF production when the cells were cultured at 5 x 10(5) cells ml with LPS. At a concentration of 2 x 10(5) cells/ml, the cells produced small amounts of IL-6 in 24 h or 4 day cultures with or without LPS. At a concentration of 5 x 10(5) cells/ml, LPS significantly increased IL-6 production in 24 h from 142 to 433 units/ml and from 106 to 250 units/ml in 4 days. The amount of IL-6 produced by LPS-stimulated cells was greater at 1 day than at 4 days. There was no significant difference in PGE2 production by the cells under any of the incubation conditions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Enterocytes can produce TNF and IL-6, and endotoxin can increase the production of these cytokines by enterocytes. The gut therefore has the potential to become an important source of inflammatory cytokines.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.
authors.forename: C K
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Ogle
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: P O
authors.initials: PO
authors.lastname: Hasselgren
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Ogle
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Alexander
mesh_terms: D018938:Caco-2 Cells; D016207:Cytokines / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D015232:Dinoprostone / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000378:metabolism*; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000378:metabolism*; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000096:biosynthesis
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D015850:Interleukin-6; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D015232:Dinoprostone