Inflammatory cytokines up-regulate intercellular adhesion molecule-1 expression on primary cultured mouse hepatocytes and T-lymphocyte adhesion.

We investigated the effect of inflammatory cytokines on the intercellular adhesion molecule-1 expression on primary cultured murine hepatocytes. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interferon-gamma and interleukin-1 alpha up-regulated the intercellular adhesion molecule-1 expression on hepatocytes in a dose-dependent fashion; however, interleukin-6 did not. On the basis of kinetic analysis, the expression level reached a peak 24 hr after stimulation, and both cycloheximide and actinomycin D inhibited the expression. Furthermore, T lymphocytes bind more to interferon-gamma-stimulated hepatocytes than to unstimulated hepatocytes. The binding was dependent on the concentration of interferon-gamma. The binding was also up-regulated by stimulating T lymphocytes with phorbol myristate acetate. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin-1 alpha demonstrated the same effect as interferon-gamma, whereas interleukin-6 did not increase T-lymphocyte adhesion to the hepatocytes. The adhesion induced by interferon-gamma or tumor necrosis factor-alpha was inhibited by antibody against either intercellular adhesion molecule-1 or lymphocyte function-associated antigen-1, a ligand for intercellular adhesion molecule-1, but was not inhibited by CD44 antibodies. These results demonstrate that inflammatory lymphokines enhance the T-lymphocyte adhesion to primary cultured hepatocytes by up-regulating the intercellular adhesion molecule-1 expression on the stimulated hepatocytes by activating the de novo pathway. This mechanism may play an important role in the pathogenesis of hepatitis.