Thrombopoietin production in wild-type and interleukin-6 knockout mice with acute inflammation

Helen Burmester, Eva Maria Wolber, Patricia Freitag, Joachim Fandrey, Wolfgang Jelkmann*

*Corresponding author for this work
25 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Clinical and laboratory studies indicate that thrombopoietin (TPO) gene expression increases during inflammation. To clarify the role of interleukin 6 (IL-6) in this process, blood cell counts, plasma TPO concentrations, and hepatic and renal TPO mRNA levels were investigated in wild-type and IL-6 knockout mice, with sterile abscesses produced by subcutaneous injection of turpentine oil. Treatment did not cause a change in blood cell counts during the 72 h period of observation. The numbers of thrombocytes and erythrocytes were slightly lower in the IL-6 knockout mice than in the wild-type littermates under all conditions. Plasma IL-6 and TPO concentrations increased on turpentine injection only in the wild-type mice. In addition, turpentine treatment of these caused an increase in hepatic TPO mRNA levels as assessed by competitive polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and real-time PCR, whereas renal TPO mRNA levels were unaltered. TPO mRNA levels did not increase in the livers of IL-6 knockout mice on turpentine treatment. These results support the concept that TPO behaves like an acute-phase protein in that its synthesis is induced by IL-6 in the liver.

Original languageEnglish
JournalJournal of Interferon and Cytokine Research
Volume25
Issue number7
Pages (from-to)407-413
Number of pages7
ISSN1079-9907
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 07.2005

Research Areas and Centers

  • Academic Focus: Center for Brain, Behavior and Metabolism (CBBM)

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