Comparative responses of human and rabbit interleukin-1 in vivo: effect of a recombinant interleukin-1 receptor antagonist.

The ability of recombinant human and rabbit interleukin-1 alpha (IL-1 alpha) in inducing inflammatory responses in rabbit skin were compared. Intradermal (i.d.) injections of recombinant human IL-1 alpha and recombinant rabbit IL-1 alpha induced intense accumulation of 111In-labelled neutrophils which was dependent on the dose of the cytokines administered. Both forms of IL-1 alpha induced very small levels of plasma protein leakage. Co-injection of the cytokines with the mRNA synthesis inhibitor actinomycin D (Act D) attenuated the number of neutrophils accumulating in response to both human and rabbit forms of IL-1 alpha. Local injection of a recombinant human IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra) caused a dose-dependent inhibition of local inflammatory responses initiated by human and rabbit IL-1 alpha s well as rabbit IL-1 beta indicating the species cross-reactivity of the antagonist. IL-1Ra was selective for IL-1 in rabbit skin, as responses induced by C5ades Arg and formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (FMLP) were not inhibited. IL-1Ra significantly inhibited the IL-1-induced neutrophil accumulation only when co-injected with the cytokine. The local administration of the antagonist 30 min after rabbit IL-1 alpha failed to inhibit the inflammatory response. These results suggest that the in vivo events leading to the accumulation of neutrophils in response to IL-1 alpha are rapidly initiated.