title: Activin as an anti-inflammatory cytokine produced by microglia.
abstract: The main objective of the present study was to determine if activin might inhibit microglial activation. In murine MG6 microglial cell cultures, lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced activation of these cells was mitigated by pretreatment with activin as assessed by compromised up-regulation of proinflammatory markers, including IL-18, IL-6 and iNOS. The suppressive effects of activin on microglial activation were similarly observed in rat brains administered with LPS into the lateral ventricle. The expression of activin mRNA was induced by treatment with LPS in both cell cultures and brains. Thus, activin might act as an anti-inflammatory cytokine produced by microglia, presumably modulating inflammation through an autocrine fashion.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Nippon Medical School, 1-1-5 Sendagi Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8526, Japan. sugama@nms.ac.jp
authors.forename: Shuei
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sugama
authors.forename: Takato
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Takenouchi
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kitani
authors.forename: Masayo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fujita
authors.forename: Makoto
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hashimoto
mesh_terms: D028341:Activins / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D039481:CD11b Antigen / Q000378:metabolism; D002461:Cell Line, Transformed; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D016207:Cytokines / Q000378:metabolism*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004347:Drug Interactions; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D020547:Lateral Ventricles / Q000187:drug effects; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000494:pharmacology; D051379:Mice; D017628:Microglia / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D052247:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D039481:CD11b Antigen; D016207:Cytokines; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D028341:Activins; D052247:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II