in vitro effects of propranolol on t helper type 1 cytokine profile in human

introduction: cytokines are a large group of proteins play a key role in inflammation. down-regulation of pro-inflammatory cytokines has beneficial effect on heart function. propranolol, as a non selective beta-adrenergic blocker, has been extensively used for treatment of many cardiovascular problems such as arrhythmias and heart malfunction. in addition anti-inflammatory effects of propranolol have been revealed. in this study the propranolol effect on t helper type 1 cytokine profile in human leukemic t cells has been assessed in vitro. materials and methods: human leukemic t cells (molt-4 and jurkat) were cultured in complete rpmi medium. the cells were then incubated with different concentrations of propranolol (0.03- 30 µm) in the presence or absence of pha (10 µg/ml) for 48 hours. the supernatants of cell culture media were collected and used for cytokines assay. results: propranolol significantly decreased the t helper type 1 cytokine profile [interleukin-2 (il-2) and interferon- γ (ifn-γ)] production in pha stimulated molt-4 and jurkat cells, after 48 hour of incubation time, dose-dependently compared to untreated control cells. conclusion: our data showed a dose dependent inhibitory effect of propranolol on the il-2 and ifn-γ production in human leukemic molt-4 and jurkat cells. the anti- inflammatory effect of propranolol reported by other investigators may be in part due to its suppressive effect on production of inflammatory cytokines such as il-2 and ifn-γ. so, propranolol along with its chronic long-term usage in cardiovascular problems may have potential implication in treatment of inflammatory-based disorders.