The influence of uremic serum on interleukin-1beta and interleukin-1 receptor antagonist production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells

We investigated whether or not uremic serum has an influence on IL-1beta and IL-1Ra production by normal peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). Four groups of subjects were divided into healthy controls and non-dialyzed patients with chronic renal failure (CRF), patients undergoing continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) and hemodialysis (HD) patients. We examined cytokine concentrations and cytokine production by PBMC from a normal subject at the density of 2.5 x 10(6) cells/mL incubated with 25% serum in the medium and serum containing polymyxin-B or lipopolysaccharides (LPS). IL-1Ra concentrations in the serum of the uremic groups were significantly higher than those of the controls. In IL-1beta production by PBMC in medium with both serum and serum containing polymyxin-B, these values in the uremic groups were significantly higher than in the controls. In IL-1Ra production with serum containing polymyxin-B, these values in the uremic groups were significantly higher than in the controls. In contrast, in IL-1Ra production by PBMC in medium with serum containing LPS, these values in the uremic groups were significantly lower than in the controls. It was concluded that uremic serum not only contains nonendotoxemic cytokine-inducing substances, but also shows impaired cytokine production by PBMC in response to LPS.