The effects of sodium butyrate on lymphokine production.

The effect of sodium butyrate on lymphokine production in WEHI-3, LBRM-33, and JURKAT cells, as well as an IL-2-dependent T cell line (I) was studied. Constitutive production of IL-3 by WEHI-3 cells was enhanced by sodium butyrate and was accompanied by the growth arrest of WEHI-3 cells in the G1 phase of the cell cycle. Treatment of I cells with ConA and sodium butyrate led to an increase in IL-3 production and the initiation of IL-2 production. In contrast, the synthesis of IL-2 and IL-3 by the ConA-activated T lymphoma line LBRM-33 was coordinately inhibited by sodium butyrate. Similarly, the synthesis of IL-2 by the human T cell lymphoma JURKAT was inhibited by sodium butyrate. No cell cycle-specific effects of sodium butyrate were observed in LBRM-33 or JURKAT cells.