In this study we demonstrated that combined inoculation of interleukin-12 (IL-12) and IL-18 reduced the number of bacteria in the spleens of mice infected with Brucella abortus 2308 and that the effect of the treatment was mediated by an increased capability of spleen cells to produce gamma interferon at the early phase of infection.

Peritoneal exudate cells of mice were stimulated with a streptomycin-dependent Mycobacterium tuberculosis strain, 18b. Gamma interferon production by natural killer cells depending on interleukin-12 and interleukin-18 was induced only in the presence of a high dose of streptomycin. This study suggested the requirement of active bacterial metabolism for this host response.

Purpose The present study investigated the influence of IL-18/18R genetic variants on cytokine expression in patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD). Materials and methods The polymorphisms rs1946518, rs187238, rs326, rs1169288, and rs183130 were determined in patients with and without CAD. Circulating cytokine levels were measured immunologically. Results The rs1946518-GG genoty...

We have studied, using a telemetry system, the pyrogenic properties of recombinant murine interleukin-18 (rmIL-18) injected into the peritoneum of C57BL/6 mice. The effect of IL-18 was compared with the febrile response induced by human IL-1beta, lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and recombinant murine interferon-gamma (rmIFN-gamma). Both IL-1beta and LPS induced a febrile response within the first hou...

Maintenance dialysis induces a clinical state of immunodeficiency. The pathway of circulating T cells from haemodialyzed patients is changed and characterized by an increase of Th1 cells. The unbalanced T helper differentiation derives from an altered regulation of interleukin-12 (IL-12), which represents an important inducer of Th1. IL-18 is a pro-inflammatory cytokine expressed by a variety o...

BACKGROUND Morning blood pressure (BP) peak may be a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Whether morning BP should be a target of hypertension treatment is not known. We investigated the relationship between morning BP variations, carotid internal-medial thickness (CIMT), circulating inflammatory markers, and sympathetic activity in hypertensive patients with different patterns of morning B...

BACKGROUND Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a chronic inflammatory disease mediated by the proinflammatory cytokines interleukin-12 (IL-12) and interleukin-18 (IL-18). Evidence suggests that IL-12 is dominant in early atherosclerosis, while IL-18 is critical in advanced atherosclerosis. In this study, we explore the association between IL-12 and IL-18 and arterial stiffness in he...