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Neuronal Regulation of Interleukin 6 Secretion in Murine Spleen: Adrenergic and Opioidergic Control
Author(s) -
Straub Rainer H.,
Herrmann Markus,
Berkmiller Gebhard,
Frauenholz Thomas,
Lang Bernhard,
Schölmerich Jürgen,
Falk Werner
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
journal of neurochemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.75
H-Index - 229
eISSN - 1471-4159
pISSN - 0022-3042
DOI - 10.1046/j.1471-4159.1997.68041633.x
Subject(s) - phentolamine , opioidergic , endocrinology , medicine , methoxamine , secretion , chemistry , enkephalin , (+) naloxone , endogenous opioid , stimulation , agonist , adrenergic , biology , opioid , receptor
The PNS was anticipated to be involved in the modulation of immune responses. To study aspects of this neuronal‐immune communication, a recently developed tissue slice method was used to study the effects of adrenergic and opioidergic transmitters on interleukin 6 (IL‐6) secretion in the spleen. The α 2 ‐adrenergic agonist p ‐aminoclonidine (10 −7 M ) inhibited IL‐6 secretion (control vs. p ‐aminoclonidine, 100.0 ± 4.76 vs. 59.3 ± 6.6% of control values; p < 0.001). The α 1 ‐adrenergic agonist methoxamine (10 −8 M ) also inhibited IL‐6 secretion (100.0 ± 4.8 vs. 71.5 ± 3.8%; p < 0.001). The endogenous opioids β‐endorphin (10 −10 M ), methionine‐enkephalin (10 −9 M ), and leucine‐enkephalin (10 −9 M ) inhibited IL‐6 secretion as well ( p = 0.0051, p = 0.0337, and p = 0.0226, respectively). Electrical stimulation of spleen slices inhibited IL‐6 secretion (100.0 ± 4.3 vs. 56.7 ± 4.6% of control values; p < 0.001). The involvement of α‐adrenergic and opioidergic molecules in this electrically induced inhibition was shown by the use of antagonists. Electrical inhibition of IL‐6 secretion was attenuated by phentolamine (10 −7 M ; p = 0.0345), by naloxone (10 −6 M ; p = 0.0046), by cyprodime (10 −8 M ; p = 0.0014), and by the combination of cyprodime (10 −7 M ) plus phentolamine (10 −8 M ; p < 0.0001). We conclude from the complementary studies that the inhibition of IL‐6 secretion induced by electrical pulses was mostly mediated by α‐adrenergic and μ‐opioidergic endogenous transmitters.