title: Effect of interleukin 6 deficiency on the expression of Bcl-2 and Bax in the murine heart.
abstract: Interleukin 6 (IL-6) is a pleiotropic cytokine that is highly expressed in response to ischemia and reperfusion. It has dichotomous roles in the heart, functioning both as an inflammatory mediator as well as a protective agent. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of IL-6 deficiency on the expression of apoptotic regulatory proteins under both baseline conditions and following induction of ischemia and reperfusion in the mouse heart. C57BL/6J IL-6-/-(TMKopf) (IL6KO) and C57BL/6J mice (WT) were subjected to 30 minutes of local reversible myocardial ischemia in vivo or a sham operation. The expression of Bcl-2, Bax and STAT3 in the heart was assessed by western blotting. Under both baseline conditions and following the sham operation, IL-6 deficiency was associated with reduced expression of Bcl-2 and Bax. The TUNEL-FITC, Evans blue and tetrazolium chloride staining of the hearts following ischemia and reperfusion revealed similar injury in operated IL6KO and WT animals. There was increased STAT3 phosphorylation in operated mice regardless of the genotype. Bcl-2 and Bax expression was also comparable between the mouse strains following ischemia and reperfusion. In summary, these results indicated that IL-6 deficiency affected the basal expression of apoptotic regulators, but this did not profoundly alter the extent of reperfusion injury or apoptosis in the mouse heart following ischemia and reperfusion.
authors: Department of Cardiology, Medical University of Białystok, M. Curie-Skłodowskiej 24A, PL 15-276 Białystok, Poland.
authors: Karol A
authors: KA
authors: Kamiński
authors: Marcin
authors: M
authors: Kozuch
authors: Tomasz A
authors: TA
authors: Bonda
authors: Maria M
authors: MM
authors: Stepaniuk
authors: Ewa
authors: E
authors: Waszkiewicz
authors: Lech
authors: L
authors: Chyczewski
authors: Włodzimierz J
authors: WJ
authors: Musiał
authors: Maria M
authors: MM
authors: Winnicka
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000235:genetics*; D051017:Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D015427:Reperfusion Injury / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D050796:STAT3 Transcription Factor / Q000378:metabolism; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D051017:Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins; C494827:Bax protein, mouse; D015850:Interleukin-6; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D050796:STAT3 Transcription Factor; C494087:Stat3 protein, mouse; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein; C052617:Bcl2 protein, mouse