Lipopolysaccharide-induced cytokine and chemokine expression in human carotid lesions.

The release of cytokines and chemokines from activated immune-competent cells plays a crucial role in determining the pathology of the atherogenic progress. We investigated the effect of bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on cytokine/chemokine expression in carotid lesions and normal renal arteries. The lesions or renal arteries were incubated for 6 h at 37 degrees C in serum-free media treated with or without LPS. After LPS treatment, increased protein levels of IL-1beta, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, TNF-alpha and MCP-1 were observed in the culture medium from the lesions measured with cytometric bead array. We were able to detect the induction of IL-1beta, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, TNF-alpha and MCP-1 mRNA in the lesions after stimulation with LPS using real-time PCR. In renal arteries, LPS also induces mRNA expression of all chemokines and cytokines investigated with the exception of IL-6. However, LPS induces significantly higher levels of TNF-alpha, IL-1beta and IL-10 mRNA in lesions compared to renal arteries. The results suggest that infectious agents are capable of enhancing the production of cytokines/chemokines in an already ongoing inflammatory process such as in atherosclerosis, and that low levels of circulating LPS may affect the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines much more in atherosclerotic vessels than in normal vessels and may contribute to the development of the atherosclerotic lesion.