INTERLEUKIN 6 UPREGULATES TNF-α-DEPENDENT C3-STIMULATING ACTIVITY THROUGH ENHANCEMENT OF TNF-α SPECIFIC BINDING ON RAT LIVER EPITHELIAL CELLS

The authors investigated the role of tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin 6 (IL-6), two major pro-inflammatory cytokines, in the stimulation of the third component of complement (C3) production by rat liver epithelial cells. Though often considered as the most potent inflammatory cytokine, IL-6 alone displayed no activity, whereas TNF-α upregulated C3 production in a dose-dependent manner. However, IL-6 was shown to...