PRODUCTION OF INTERLEUKIN-6 IN CULTURES OF PERIPHERAL-BLOOD MONONUCLEAR-CELLS FROM CHILDREN WITH PRIMARY PROTEIN-CALORIE MALNUTRITION AND FROM EUTROPHIC CONTROLS

The spontaneous as well as mitogen-induced in vitro production of inte rleukin-6 (IL-6) was studied in cultures of peripheral blood mononucle ar cells (PBMC) from 14 children with marginal protein-energy malnutri tion, 43 children with definite protein-energy malnutrition and 38 eut rophic controls of similar age, sex, race and socioeconomical conditio n. PBMC were cultured without added mitogen or stimulated with either lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or phytohemagglutinin (PHA). After 48 h incub ation, cell-free culture supernatants were collected and stored at -70 degrees C. The amount of IL-6 in the supernatants was determined by a specific bioassay based on the proliferation of B9 hybridoma cells us ing human rIL-6 as standard. The mean level of IL-6 was significantly increased in supernatants from nonstimulated PBMC cultures from defini tely malnourished children as compared with that observed in those of the controls. Stimulation with either LPS or PHA induced a rise in cyt okine bioactivity in the supernatants of PBMC cultures from the differ ent nutritional groups tested. Interestingly, IL-6 was significantly i ncreased in the supernatants of PHA-stimulated cultures from malnouris hed children as compared with those of the controls.