Interleukin-8 increases acetylcholine response of rat intestinal segments

Interleukin-8 (IL-8) is a pro-inflammatory cytokine highly expressed in inflammatory bowel diseases, but whose effects on intestinal motility are unknown.

To characterize the role of IL-8 in the contraction of rat intestinal segments.

Contractile response to acetylcholine (ACh 10-6 M) in terminal ileal segments (including mucosa) from Wistar rats was measured before and after incubation (15, 30, 60 or 90 min) with IL-8 (1 ng/mL), and after 60 min of incubation with different doses of IL-8 (0, 0.1, 0.5, 1, 10 and 100 ng/mL). The effects of blocking neural transmission with tetrodotoxin (TTX) and inhibiting protein synthesis (cycloheximide) were tested. The contractile response of longitudinal muscle-myenteric plexus preparations (i.e. without mucosa) was measured after 60 min of incubation with 0.1 and 1 ng/mL of IL-8.

IL-8 increased ileal contraction induced by ACh 10(-6) M. This augmentation was significant after 60 min of incubation (58%, P=0.01) and persisted after 90 min (18%, P=0.04). A 60-min incubation period showed a dose-related effect, beginning at 0.5 ng/mL (30%, P=0.003) and reaching a peak at 1 ng/mL (58%, P=0.01). The same effect was also observed on colonic segments. TTX did not affect the IL-8 increase of ACh-induced contractions, which was completely abolished by cycloheximide. IL-8 had no significant effect on longitudinal muscle-myenteric plexus preparations.

In vitro, IL-8 increases contractile response of the ileum to ACh in a dose-dependent manner. This effect is not neurally mediated, but seems to involve protein synthesis by intestinal mucosa.