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Involvement of transforming growth factor-alpha secreted by macrophages in metallothionein induction by endotoxin
Y Iijima1, T Fukushima, F Kosaka
1Department of Anesthesiology and Resuscitology Okayama University Medical School, Japan.
Abstract:
The mechanism of metallothionein (MT) induction of the liver by endotoxin, which is mediated by a factor secreted by endotoxin-stimulated macrophages, was studied in vitro. MT induction of the liver cells by the endotoxin-stimulated macrophage conditioned medium was inhibited by a monoclonal antiepidermal growth factor (EGF) / transforming growth factor-alpha (TGF-alpha) receptor antibody, which acts as an antagonist of EGF and TGF-alpha. MT was induced by the substance, which was adsorbed by polyclonal antibody to TGF-alpha, but not by a monoclonal antibody to EGF, in the conditioned medium of endotoxin-stimulated macrophages. These results suggest that TGF-alpha secreted by macrophages is involved in MT induction by endotoxin.