INTERLEUKIN-1 ACTIVATES PREFERENTIALLY CYCLOOXYGENASE RATHER THAN NO SYNTHASE PATHWAY IN HUMAN SMOOTH-MUSCLE CELLS

Interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta) is a potent inflammatory mediator with multiple biological properties which can be arranged in two categories : abrupt and slow-onset changes including the induction of synthesis o f a variety of enzymes. Prostaglandin E(2)(PGE(2)) and more recently n itric oxide (NO) have been implicated as effector molecules that media te IL-1 beta-induced vasodilatation through cyclooxygenase [1] and NO synthase [2] pathways, respectively. In the present study, we have com pared the effects of IL-1 beta on the induction of NO synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase (COX-2) by measuring cGMP and PGE(2) levels on both human and rat smooth muscle cells (SMC).