Stress induces increases in IL-6 production by leucocytes of patients withthe chronic inflammatory disease juvenile rheumatoid arthritis: a putativerole for alpha(1)-adrenergic receptors

Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) is characterized by chronic inflammatio n of the joints. In the present study we demonstrate that exposure of JRA p atients to a noradrenergic stressor (cold presser test) results in enhanced LPS-induced IL-6 production by peripheral blood cells of these patients. H ealthy, age-matched controls had the same rise in norepinephrine, but do no t respond with changes in IL-6 production after exposure to the cold presse r test. Moreover, PBMC of patients with JRA express mRNA encoding alpha (1) -adrenergic receptors (AR), predominantly of the alpha (1d)-AR subtype. In contrast, we could not detect mRNA encoding for alpha (1)-AR in PBMC of hea lthy controls. The results of this study suggest that expression of alpha ( 1)-AR mRNA in PBMC during chronic inflammation is associated with altered r esponses of the immune system to stress. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.