Opposite effect of linearly polarized light on biosynthesis of interleukin-6 in a human B lymphoid cell line and peripheral human monocytes.

The effects of linearly polarized light (LPL) and diffuse light (DL) on the in vitro interleukin-6 (IL-6) production in a human B lymphoma cell line (BMNH) and peripheral monocytes of healthy volunteers were compared. Our data show that there was a significant increase of IL-6 and IgM production in BMNH after exposure to LPL. The increase in IgM secretion was a consequence of its autocrine regulation by IL-6, since in the presence of anti-IL-6 and anti-IL-6 receptor antibodies the LPL-induced IgM secretion was abolished. In contrast to the stimulatory effect on B cells, exposure of human mononuclear phagocytes to LPL markedly reduced the production of IL-6 induced by subsequent stimulation of cells with bacterial endotoxin (LPS). The inhibition as most pronounced when suboptimal doses of LPS were applied. Under identical experimental conditions, DL had no effect on the IL-6 and IgM production of either B cells or monocytes. Copyright 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.