PRODUCTION OF MONOCYTE CHEMOATTRACTANT PROTEIN-1 BY CULTURED GLOMERULAR EPITHELIAL-CELLS - INHIBITION BY DEXAMETHASONE

Glomerular epithelial cells (GECs) have been shown to be one class of target cells in immunological and nonimmunological glomerular injury e lf glomerulonephritis, some cases of which are accompanied by infiltra tion of glomeruli by monocytes/macrophages. In this study we tested wh ether GECs in culture produce monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP- 1), a potential molecule responsible for monocyte recruitment in infla mmation, and whether the production is inhibited by glucocorticoid. GE Cs were obtained from outgrowth of rat glomeruli. Levels of MCP-1 mRNA and protein were determined by Northern blot analysis and ELISA, resp ectively. Northern blot analysis revealed the expression of MCP-1 mRNA in cytokine-treated GECs. The expression of MCP-1 mRNA was inhibited by dexamethasone. Quantitative analysis by ELISA confirmed the product ion of MCP-1 protein by GECs and the inhibitory effect of dexamethason e. These results indicate that cytokine-treated GECs produce and secre te MCP-1 and that the MCP-1 production is inhibited by dexamethasone. We suggest that MCP-1 produced by GECs may play a role in the recruitm ent of monocytes/macrophages in glomerulonephritis and that the therap eutic effect of glucocorticoid on the disease might include the inhibi tion of the production of MCP-1.