INTERLEUKIN-6 AND INTERLEUKIN-11 PROTECT MICE FROM MORTALITY IN A STAPHYLOCOCCAL ENTEROTOXIN-INDUCED TOXIC SHOCK MODEL

BALB/By mice given doses of D-galactosamine plus Staphylococcus aureus enterotoxin B die within 48 h of administration. The cause of death i s a syndrome much like toxic shock syndrome in humans. We used this mo del to investigate the role of two cytokines, interleukin 6 and interl eukin 11, which share the signal transducing subunit, gp130, of their respective receptors. We observed that pretreatment of mice with antib ody to interleukin 6 increased mortality from 55% to nearly 90% (P < 0 .001), while pretreatment with either cytokine reduced death. The prot ection was dose dependent; however, interleukin 6 was about 10-fold mo re potent than interleukin 11. These data indicate that endogenous int erleukin 6 plays a protective role in attenuating acute inflammatory r esponses; furthermore, interleukin 6 and interleukin 11 can abrogate T -cell activation due to triggering by superantigen. A possible clinica l role for these cytokines in the treatment of toxic shock merits furt her investigation.