INTERLEUKIN-6 STIMULATES GLUCONEOGENESIS IN PRIMARY CULTURES OF RAT HEPATOCYTES

Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and IL- 1 have been shown to stimulate the synthesis of acute-phase proteins; however, few studies have examined the effect of these cytokines on gl uconeogenesis. We investigated the effects of these cytokines on gluco neogenesis in primary cultures of rat hepatocytes. Incubation of hepat ocytes for 24 hours with TNF-alpha or IL-1 alpha did not affect glucon eogenesis. Hepatocytes incubated with 100 pmol/L and 1 nmol/L IL-6 had a dose-dependent increase (P < .05) in gluconeogenesis (2.6 +/- 0.1 a nd 3.2 +/- 0.1 pmol/10(6) cells/min, respectively) as compared with co ntrols (2.0 +/- 0.1). Copyright (C) 1995 by W.B. Saunders Company