Cytokine-induced neutrophil chemoattractant is necessary for interleukin-1-induced lung leak in rats

Because interleukin-1 (IL-1) is not a potent chemoattractant intrinsically, our goal was to determine whether cytokine-induced neutrophil chemoattractant (CINC) mediates neutrophil accumulation and leak that occur in lungs of rats given IL-1 intratracheally. We found that rats given IL-1 intratracheally had increased lung lavage CINC concentrations, lung myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity, lung lavage neutrophil numbers, and lung leak compared with saline-treated control rats. In parallel, rats given increasing doses of anti-CINC antibody along with IL-1 intratracheally had progressively decreased lung lavage CINC concentrations, lung lavage neutrophil numbers, and lung leak, but the same lung MPO activity, as did rats given only IL-1 intratracheally. In addition, lavage CINC concentrations correlated with lavage neutrophil numbers in rats. Because CINC is a chemoattractant in vitro and because anti-CINC antibody decreased lung leak induced by IL-1, CINC was then given alone intratracheally. Rats given only CINC intratracheally had the same lung MPO activity, lung lavage neutrophil numbers, and lung leak as did saline-treated control rats. These observations suggest that instilling IL-1 intratracheally induces lung leak via a CINC-dependent pathway but that administering CINC alone in concentrations exceeding the levels measured in lung lavages from IL-1-treated rats is not sufficient to cause lung neutrophil accumulation and lung leak.