IL-1beta and IL-6 act synergistically with TNF-alpha to alter cardiac contractile function after burn trauma

Although numerous studies have provided evidence that the inflammatory cytokines TNF-alpha and IL-1beta have significant negative inotropic effects, the role of the interleukins in burn-mediated cardiac dysfunction has not been defined. Furthermore, most studies examining the cardiotoxic effects of inflammatory cytokines have ignored the complex inflammatory milieu that occurs in the intact subject with trauma, sepsis, or ischemic heart disease. Therefore, this study examined the time course of IL-1beta and IL-6 secretion by cardiomyocytes after burn trauma, and additional studies examined the effects of these cytokines alone or in combination with TNF-alpha on cardiac contractile performance (Langendorff). Sprague-Dawley rats were given a full thickness burn injury over 40% of the total body surface area; fluid resuscitation was lactated Ringers solution, 4 mL/kg per burn percentage of burn area. Sham burn animals received identical anesthesia and handling, but no burn injury. Rats were sacrificed at several different times postburn, and isolated hearts (n = 4-5 rats/group/time period) were perfused with collagenase-containing buffer to prepare cardiomyocytes or were perfused in vitro to examine cardiac contractile function (n = 5-6 rats/group/time period). Additional naive control rats (n = 10) were included to prepare cardiomyocytes that, in turn, were challenged with different concentrations of either IL-1beta, IL-6, or TNF-alpha alone or in combination for several time periods (CO2 incubator at 37 degrees C for 1-3 h). Finally, inflammatory cytokines alone or in combination were added to the perfusate of hearts isolated from additional control rats (n = 6-7/group) to assess the cardiac contraction and relaxation effects of cytokine challenge. Despite aggressive fluid resuscitation, burn trauma produced a time-related increase in cardiomyocyte secretion of IL-1beta, IL-6, and TNF-alpha. Exposure of naive cardiomyocytes prepared from control rats to each cytokine alone or combined cytokine challenge produced a time-dependent and concentration-dependent decrease in cell viability and an increase in supernatant creatine kinase levels. Either IL-1beta or TNF-alpha produced greater cardiac defects than IL-6 when added separately to Langendorff-perfused hearts; dysfunction was maximal with combined cytokine challenge (IL-1beta plus TNF-alpha plus IL-6). The data confirm that burn trauma upregulates inflammatory cytokine secretion by cardiomyocytes and suggest that these inflammatory cytokines act in concert to produce burn-mediated cardiac contractile dysfunction.