BACKGROUND Loss of cardiac myocytes due to apoptosis is a relevant feature of ischemic heart disease. It has been described in infarct and peri-infarct regions of the myocardium in coronary syndromes and in ischemia-linked heart remodeling. Previous studies have provided protection against ischemia-induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis by the anti-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-1 receptor-antagoni...

The secreted form of the interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra) is an acute-phase protein intervening in the counterregulation of inflammatory processes. We previously showed that this cytokine antagonist is upregulated in the serum of obese patients, correlating with BMI and insulin resistance. In this study, we examined the expression pattern of IL-1Ra and showed that it is highly express...

BACKGROUND Inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) contribute to the progression of intervertebral disc degeneration. Previously we demonstrated, in vitro, that by delivering interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra) from poly(lactic co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) microspheres, we could attenuate the degradative effects of IL-1β on the nucleus pulposus (NP) for up to 20 days. The o...

Ligament healing follows a series of complex coordinated events involving various cell types, cytokines, as well as other factors, producing a mechanically inferior tissue more scar-like than native tissue. Macrophages provide an ongoing source of cytokines to modulate inflammatory cell adhesion and migration as well as fibroblast proliferation. Studying interleukins inherent to ligament healin...

The naturally occurring antagonist of interleukin-1, IL-1RA, is highly neuroprotective experimentally, shows few adverse effects, and inhibits the systemic acute phase response to stroke. A single regime pilot study showed slow penetration into cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) at experimentally therapeutic concentrations. Twenty-five patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) and external ventricular...

BACKGROUND The human immune response to Mycobacterium tuberculosis is mediated by macrophages and T-lymphocytes. The alveolar macrophage phagocyting mycobacterium produces interleukin (IL)-1 as an inflammatory mediator, and IL-8 as a cytokine for leukocyte recruitment and granuloma formation. Interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra) is an internal antagonist of IL-1. METHODS Plasma levels o...

Interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra) is a naturally occurring anti-inflammatory antagonist of the proinflammatory cytokine IL-1, a critical factor in many inflammatory diseases. The aim of the present study was to investigate the role of IL-1ra in hepatitis B-related acute-on-chronic liver failure (HB-ACLF). Serum cytokine concentrations were measured using a Q-Plex array in 31 patients w...

There is evidence that proinflammation may be linked to the development of hypertension (HT). We examined the association of both the interleukin-1 beta (IL-1beta) and the interleukin 1-receptor antagonist (IL-1ra) with future blood pressure (BP) and HT occurrence (BP >or= 140/90 mmHg, or antihypertensive drug) in a population-based prospective study. Our study consisted of 396 (147 men and 249...

We investigated whether interleukin-1 (IL-1) activity in the rat hypothalamus was increased by immobilization stress (IS), and whether pretreatment with an interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra) is capable of inhibiting IS-induced elevations of hypothalamic norepinephrine (NE), dopamine (DA), and serotonin (5-HT) and the levels of their metabolites as well as of plasma adrenocorticotropic h...

OBJECTIVE Soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor II (sTNF-RII) and interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra) might modulate nutritional status in acute leukemia since they are inhibitors of tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin-1 that can induce tissue wasting. On the other hand, tumor load and hypermetabolism may induce malnutrition. We determined whether serum levels of sTNF-RII and IL...