Suzuki M, Tetsuka T, Yoshida S, Watanabe N, Kobayashi M, Matsui N, Okamoto T
Department of Molecular Genetics, Nagoya City University Medical School, 1 Kawasumi, Mizuho-cho, Mizuho-ku, Nagoya, Japan.
FEBS Lett. 2000 Jan 7;465(1):23-7. doi: 10.1016/s0014-5793(99)01717-2.
We examined the role of p38 mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase in the tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha)- or interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta)-induced production of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and interleukin-8 (IL-8) in fresh rheumatoid synovial fibroblast (RSF) cultures concomitantly with the induction of p38 MAP kinase activity. Pretreatment of RSF with a specific p38 MAP kinase inhibitor, SB203580, blocked the induction of IL-6 and IL-8 without affecting nuclear translocation of nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kappaB) or IL-6 and IL-8 mRNA levels. These findings suggest that p38 MAP kinase inhibitor may have synergistic, rather than additive, effect for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.
