Adrenomedullin stimulates interleukin-6 production in Swiss 3T3 cells.

Adrenomedullin (AM) has very recently been demonstrated to be produced and secreted from fibroblasts. The production of AM in the fibroblasts is augmented by inflammation-related substances, and Swiss 3T3 fibroblast cells express AM specific receptors coupled with adenylate cyclase. To assess the functions of AM secreted from fibroblasts, we measured the effect of AM on production in Swiss 3T3 cells of interleukin-6 (IL-6), a typical cytokine involved in the general inflammatory reactions. AM stimulated basal secretion of IL-6 5.5-fold, while other peptides elicited much weaker stimulatory effects. The effect of AM was inhibited with an AM receptor antagonist and a cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) inhibitor. Furthermore, AM remarkably potentiated stimulatory effects of tumor necrosis factor-alpha, IL-1 beta and lipopolysaccharide on IL-6 production. This stimulatory effect of AM was induced through activation of gene transcription, which reached maximum within 30 min. These findings verify that AM is a rapid and extraordinarily potent regulator of IL-6 production in Swiss 3T3 cells acting through the cAMP-PKA pathway. The data thus obtained suggest that AM is a peptidergic regulator of inflammation.