Effect of protein kinase inhibitors on IL-8/NAP-1 release from human umbilical vein endothelial cells.

Several protein kinase inhibitors (PKIs) were investigated for their effects on IL-1 beta, TNF alpha and PMA-induced IL-8 production from human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC). IL-1 beta (ED50 0.07 ng/ml), TNF alpha (ED50 100 ng/ml) and PMA (ED50 20 ng/ml) induced IL-8 production that could be detected as early as 2 h following stimulation. Staurosporine, a potent but non-specific inhibitor of protein kinases, inhibited PMA-induced (IC50 2 nM) but not IL-1 beta or TNF alpha (IC50 > 200 nM) induced IL-8 production. Neither the cAMP-dependent PKI, KT5720, nor the tyrosine PKIs, genistein, tyrphostin (1-100 microM) or lavendustin A (0.0001-1 microM), inhibited IL-8 production elicited by IL-1 beta. However, the macrolide protein kinase inhibitor geldanamycin (IC50 = 30 nM), but not the closely related analog herbimycin A (5-500 nM), inhibited IL-8 production by 60%. Northern blot analysis of IL-8 mRNA revealed that staurosporine suppressed mRNA increase following stimulation by PMA but not by IL-1. It is proposed that a novel protein kinase susceptible to geldanamycin inhibition may be involved in IL-1-mediated signal transduction.