Superinduction of IL-6 by cycloheximide is associated with mRNA stabilization and sustained activation of p38 map kinase and NF-kappaB in cultured caco-2 cells.

Protein synthesis inhibitors paradoxically increase the expression of early-gene products, including various cytokines, through a process known as superinduction. Superinduction is cell-specific and the mechanisms involved are not fully understood but are usually attributed to decreased mRNA degradation. There is, however, increasing evidence that activation of signaling cascades and increased transcriptional activation may be involved as well.