Resveratrol inhibits interleukin-6 production in cortical mixed glial cells under hypoxia/hypoglycemia followed by reoxygenation

Reactive oxygen intermediates (ROIs) are important mediators of a variety o f pathological processes, including inflammation and ischemia/reperfusion i njury. Cytokines and chemokines are detected at mRNA level in human and ani mal ischemic brains. This suggests that hypoxia/reoxygenation may induce cy tokine production through generation of ROIs. In this study, we investigate d the cytokine induction and inhibition by antioxidants in rat cortical mix ed glial cells exposed to in vitro ischemia-like insults (hypoxia plus gluc ose deprivation). The results showed that interleukin-6 (IL-6) mRNA and pro tein, but not tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) or interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta), were induced during hypoxia/hypoglycemia followed by reoxygen ation in the mixed glial cells. The accumulation of IL-6 mRNA was induced a s early as 15 min after hypoxia/hypoglycemia and its level was further incr eased after subsequent reoxygenation. Among the antioxidants studied, only resveratrol suppressed IL-6 gene expression and protein secretion in mixed glial cultures under hypoxia/hypoglycemia followed by reoxygenation. These findings suggest that resveratrol might be useful in treating ischemic-indu ced inflammatory processes in stroke. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All ri ghts reserved.