SEQUENTIAL GENERATION OF CYTOKINES DURING THE INITIATIVE PHASE OF INFLAMMATION, WITH REFERENCE TO NEUTROPHILS

Studies have suggested the role of cytokines in inflammation, as deter mined by results obtained in vitro, or with assessments of clinical sa mples. However, extrapolation of in vitro results to an in vivo situat ion must be made with caution, and findings obtained from clinical sam ples tend to lack a causal relation between cytokines and inflammatory responses. Animal models of inflammation can be useful in understandi ng roles of cytokines at sites of inflammation We examined the product ion kinetics and cellular sources of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha), interleukin (IL)-1 beta, lL-8, and IL-1 receptor antagonist (I L-1Ra), and obtained evidence for the involvement of these cytokines i n a rabbit model of arthritis induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). We also attempted to analyze the inflammatory cytokine network among TNF alpha, IL-1 beta, IL-8, and IL-1Ra. Understanding the role of cytokine s in animal models paves the way to a better understanding of disease in humans.