title: Neuroprotection of interleukin-6 against NMDA attack and its signal transduction by JAK and MAPK.
abstract: Cytokine interleukin-6 (IL-6) has been well shown to be elevated in brain injury and diseases. However, the significance of IL-6 production in such neuropathologic states remains controversial, and the intracellular signal-transduction pathways involved in the brain IL-6 action are primarily unclear. We previously indicated that exogenous IL-6 protected neurons against glutamate and N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) attacks and the effects of IL-6 was blocked by anti-gp130 antibody. Here, we provide further evidence for the IL-6 neuroprotection and show signal molecules transducing the IL-6 message. The cerebellar granule neurons from postnatal 8-day infant rats were exposed to IL-6 for 8 days, and also pretreated chronically with Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor AG490 and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) inhibitor PD98059. NMDA stimulated the cultured neurons for 30 min to induce neuronal injury and death. Cell counting kit-8 assay and Western blot were employed to measure neuronal vitality and cleaved caspase-3 expression, respectively. The chronic IL-6 exposure prevented the suppression of the neuronal vitality and the enhancement of the cleaved caspase-3 level induced by NMDA. The neuroprotective effect of IL-6 depended on IL-6 concentration and neuronal damaged degree. IL-6-induced STAT3 phosphorylation was inhibited by AG490 but not by PD98059; and IL-6-induced ERK1/2 activation was blocked by PD98059 but not by AG490. Either AG490 or PD98059 blocked the IL-6 protection against the NMDA-elicited neuronal vitality decrease and caspase-3 activation increase. These findings suggest that IL-6 protects neurons from NMDA-induced excitoxicity and the IL-6 neuroprotection may be transduced by both JAK/STAT3 and RAS/MAPK pathways.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Nantong University, 19 Qixiu Road, Nantong 226001, China.
authors.forename: Xiao-Qin
authors.initials: XQ
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Yu-Ping
authors.initials: YP
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.forename: Jian-Hua
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Bei-Bei
authors.initials: BB
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.forename: Yi-Hua
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Qiu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D053148:Caspase 3 / Q000378:metabolism; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000166:cytology; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004347:Drug Interactions; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D018690:Excitatory Amino Acid Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000494:pharmacology*; D053612:Janus Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D020929:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D016202:N-Methylaspartate / Q000494:pharmacology; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects*; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D018690:Excitatory Amino Acid Agonists; D015850:Interleukin-6; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D016202:N-Methylaspartate; D053612:Janus Kinases; D020929:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Kinases; D053148:Caspase 3