Early release of growth factor and cytokines ellicited by zymosan in rat tibio - tarsal joints - lessons for the arthritis therapy

MEDIATORS RELEASED IN THE RATS JOINT OF ZYMOSAN-INDUCED ARTHRITIS

Resumo

Early release of inflammation mediators was investigated in rat tibiotarsal arthritis induced by zymosan. At the 6th hour, proinflammatory cytokines were the most released in the supernatant of joint cavities (IL-1β: 45.3; IL-6: 23.3; TNF-α: 4.0; IL-5: 2.9 fold) vs. controls, followed by the chemokines GRO/KC (CXCL1 4.8 fold) and MCP-1 (CXCL2 2.9 fold), and growth factors related to angiogenesis or leukocyte maturation (VEGF: 17.1; GM-CSF: 7.5; M-CSF: 4 fold). The release of anti-inflammatory cytokines (IL-13: 6.7; IL-4: 4.4 fold) suggests a compensatory mechanism. In conclusion, zymosan evokes multiple expressions of acute phase mediators, being the blockage of such targets, particularly VEGF, an interesting therapeutic strategy.
Keywords: inflammation; rheumatoid; mediators; immunoassay