Inhibition of inducible nitric oxide synthase gene expression and nitric oxide synthesis in vascular smooth muscle cells by granulocyte-colony stimulating factor in vitro.

Clinical and experimental evidence suggests that granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) acts as an anti-inflammatory modulator with beneficial effects in severe inflammatory diseases, e.g., sepsis and septic shock.

Neopterin induces nitric oxide-dependent apoptosis in rat vascular smooth muscle cells.

Numerous studies indicate that proinflammatory substances like tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) and interferon gamma (IFN-gamma) as well as macrophage-derived neopterin are increased in atherosclerotic tissue and thus are potentially involved in the process of atherogenesis. Since apoptotic death of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) is reported to occur in atherosclerotic lesions, we investigated the effects of neopterin, TNF-alpha, and IFN-gamma on apoptosis in cultured VSMC. Morphological changes characteristic of apoptosis as well as DNA fragmentation were detected in cells treated with neopterin, TNF-alpha/IFN-gamma, and neopterin + TNF-alpha/IFN-gamma.

Granulocyte-colony stimulating factor inhibits TNFalpha production in a human hepatoma cell line.

The syndrome of cachexia associated with malignant diseases can be in part attributed to the effects of tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha) which itself is produced by a variety of tumour cells. We have recently reported that the human hepatoma cell line HepG2 expresses the TNFalpha gene and releases biologically active TNFalpha protein after stimulation with interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta). Granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) is a glycoprotein necessary for the proliferation and differentiation of neutrophil progenitor cells in the bone marrow.