Carcinoma-cells express IL-8 and the IL-8 receptor - their inhibition attenuates the growth of carcinoma-cells.

We investigated the expression of IL-8 and the IL-8 receptor (IL-8R) in human carcinoma cells and the role of IL-8 and IL-8R in the growth of carcinoma cells. IL-8 mRNA was detected in 16 of 20 (80%) carcinoma cell lines and 20 of 24 (83.3%) cancer tissues by Northern blot analysis. IL-8R mRNA was expressed in 7 of 11 (63.6%) carcinoma cell lines by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Neutrophil chemotactic activity in the culture supernatant of carcinoma cell lines correlated with immunoreactive IL-X concentration. Growth of carcinoma cells was significantly inhibited in the presence of anti-IL-8 antibody or IL-8R antisense oligonucleotide. These results revealed that IL-8 and IL-8R are expressed in the majority of carcinoma cells and suggest that they might play a role in the growth of carcinoma cells.