title: Diminished production of interleukin-6 in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (B-CLL) cells from patients at advanced stages of disease. Tampere CLL Group.
abstract: The production of the cytokines interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) in B-CLL cells from 24 patients at different stages of chronic lymphocytic B-cell leukaemia (B-CLL) was investigated in vitro. In the majority of these cases, low spontaneous IL-6 production was measured. Mitogenic stimulation with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) or PMA plus interleukin-2 (IL-2) resulted in a tremendous increase in TNF-alpha and IL-6 production in cells representing early stage (Binet A) disease. In contrast, very little, if any, production took place in cells from patients with advanced stage (Binet C) B-CLL. The results from stage B patients were intermediate. The most remarkable difference was recorded in PMA-stimulated (1 ng/ml) IL-6 production. In stimulated 72 h cultures, IL-6 concentrations were 1280 +/- 1080 pg/ml for Binet A (n = 11), 757 +/- 597 pg/ml for Binet B (n = 8) and 46.0 +/- 84.0 pg/ml for Binet C (n = 5). The differences in IL-6 production between stage C v B and stage C v A were both statistically significant (P=0.025). Similar effects, but to a lesser extent, were observed in TNF-alpha production. These results suggest that the varying capacity to produce IL-6 and TNF-alpha may play a role in B-CLL progression and in clinical manifestations of the disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Tampere Medical School, Finland.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hulkkonen
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vilpo
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Vilpo
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hurme
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D015451:Leukemia, Lymphocytic, Chronic, B-Cell / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009000:Monocytes / Q000187:drug effects; D013755:Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate / Q000494:pharmacology; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000096:biosynthesis*
chemical_list: D015850:Interleukin-6; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D013755:Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate