@Article{,
AUTHOR = {Moshe Hacham, Rosalyn M. White, Shmuel Argov, Shraga Segal, Ron N. Apte},
TITLE = {Interleukin-6 and interleukin-10 are expressed in organs of normal young and old mice},
JOURNAL = {European Cytokine Network},
VOLUME = {15},
YEAR = {2004},
NUMBER = {1},
PAGES = {37--46},
URL = {http://www.techscience.com/ECN/v15n1/66500},
ISSN = {1952-4005},
ABSTRACT = {. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a pleiotropic inflammatory cytokine, also endowed with inflammation-inhibiting
properties. The status of interleukin-10 (IL-10) as an anti-inflammatory cytokine is more solidly
established. The roles of IL-6 and IL-10 in the context of organ physiology, and their possible modulation by the
aging process, are not satisfactorily understood. The purpose of this work was to characterize organ IL-6 and
IL-10 expression in different cellular compartments in mice, under steady-state and stress conditions. The former
was evaluated by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) analyses of
organ lysates (LYS) (addressing the intracellular compartment), while the latter was assessed by ELISA analyses
of organ-conditioned media (CM), obtained after 48 hrs of organ culturing (addressing the potential of cytokine
secretion/diffusion). Under steady-state conditions, the overall level of IL-6 and IL-10 expression was relatively
low in both age groups (exceptionally, IHC staining demonstrated an enhanced expression of these cytokines in
the heart, skeletal muscle and brain of young mice). Much more elevated levels of IL-6 and IL-10 expression were
demonstrated in organ CM, possibly emphasizing the role of these cytokines in the context of organ stress. This
was most characteristically shown in the highly specialized organs (heart, skeletal muscle and kidney) and liver
of old mice, as compared with the other lymphoreticular organs (lungs, spleen, small intestine) tested. Thus, IL-10
was markedly upregulated in the highly specialized organs, while IL-6 was considerably reduced in the
lymphoreticular organs. In addition, aging appears to be associated with altered patterns of intracellular
expression and secretion/diffusion potentials of IL-6 and IL-10 in the heart and skeletal muscle, as demonstrated
by reduced IHC staining on one hand, and an increased detection in organ CM, on the other. These findings may
contribute to a better understanding of the unique functions of organ IL-6 and IL-10 in various age groups, and
suggest an important role in organ response to stress in old age.},
DOI = {}
}