Anti-IL-6 receptor antibody does not ameliorate radiation pneumonia in mice

作者：Ogata Toshiyuki^*; Yamazaki Hideya; Teshima Teruki; Tsuchiya Takahiro; Nishimoto Norihiro; Matsuura Nariaki

来源：Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine, 2012, 4(2): 273-276.

DOI：10.3892/etm.2012.582

• interleukin-6
• radiation pneumonia
• cytokine

We previously showed that early administration of monoclonal anti-interleukin-6 receptor antibody (IL-6RA) does not prevent radiation-induced lung injury in mice. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether a higher dose and longer course of IL-6RA treatment was effective in ameliorating radiation pneumonia. C57B1/6J mice received thoracic irradiation of 12 Gy, and were intraperitoneally injected with the IL-6RA, namely MR16-1, or with control rat IgG 4 times, once immediately following exposure and then weekly from 1 to 3 weeks after irradiation. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays were used to analyze the plasma levels of IL-6 and serum amyloid A (SAA). Lung injury was assessed by histological staining with haematoxylin and eosin (H%26E) and by measuring wet lung weight. We observed marked upregulation of IL-6 in IL-6RA-treated mice compared to the IgG-treated control group, whereas IL-6RA did not increase the production of SAA in the group receiving irradiation. However, radiation pneumonia, as evaluated by H%26E staining and lung weight showed no differences between the IL-6RA-treated mice and the controls. Long-term treatment with high-dose IL-6RA does not ameliorate radiation pneumonia.

• 出版日期2012-8