Suppression of endotoxin-induced renal tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin-6 mRNA by renin-angiotensin system inhibitors.

The present study was designed to clarify the role of angiotensin II (Ang II) in modulating renal tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha and interleukin-6 (IL-6) production and to investigate the effect of one dose of Ang II inhibitor on cytokines production following lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to cause endotoxemia. Two studies were performed: 1) Ang II was infused intravenously at a rate of 0.2 microg/kg per minute for 4 h in rats and then kidneys were collected to assay TNF-alpha and IL-6 mRNA levels; 2) Four-week-old Wistar rats pre-treated with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor, enalapril, or type I Ang II-receptor antagonist, TCV-116, were injected with LPS (0.1, 0.5, 1.0 mg, i.p.), and then 2 or 4 h later, kidneys were collected to assay TNF-alpha, IL-6, renin and angiotensinogen mRNA levels. After a 4-h intravenous infusion of Ang II, renal TNF-alpha or IL-6 mRNA level significantly increased 1.9-fold or 2.1-fold (each P<0.05) to the control level, respectively. LPS stimulated TNF-alpha, IL-6 and angiotensinogen mRNA levels in the kidney but in rats given enalapril or TCV-116, LPS-induced IL-6 and TNF-alpha mRNA levels were completely suppressed (each P<0.05). This suggests that a single dose of renin-angiotensin system inhibitor suppressed renal IL-6 and TNF-alpha production and may prevent cytokine-induced renal damage during endotoxemia.