Tohoku J. Exp. Med., 2002, 198 (1)

Recombinant Human Interleukin-1a   Increases Serum Albumin, Gc-Globulin,
and a₁-Antitrypsin Levels in Burned Mice

KAORU KOIKE, YOTARO SHINOZAWA, MOTOYASU YAMAZAKI, TOMOYUKI ENDO, RYOSUKE NOMURA, JUNICHI AIBOSHI,¹
SAEED SAMARGHANDIAN,¹ MERRIL EMMETT² and VERLYN M. PETERSON²

Department of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8574, ¹Department of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine, Nippon Medical School, Tokyo 113-8603, ²Department of Surgery, University of Colorado, Health Sciences Center, Denver, CO, USA

The response to thermal injury is a complex physiologic process requiring communication between sites of injury and distant target organs. The liver, one of these target organs, synthesizes a family of secretory proteins, the acute phase proteins, that carries out specific immunoprotective functions. In this study we investigated the effects of daily recombinant human interleukin-1a (rhIL-1a) administration on the serum levels of negatively regulated, i.e., albumin and Gc-globulin and positively regulated, i.e., a₁-antitrypsin, acute phase proteins in a murine model of thermal injury. Adult CF-1 female mice underwent a 6.5-seconds, 20% total burn surface area, full thickness steam injury, and received either intraperitoneal rhIL-1a (20 mg•kg^–1•day^–1) or diluent for 10 days. Seven and 14 days after injury, mice were sacrificed, and serum albumin, Gc-globulin and a₁-antitrypsin levels were measured by crossed immunoelectrophoresis technique. Thermal injury significantly lowered serum albumin levels, tended to decrease Gc-globulin levels, and increased serum a₁-antitrypsin levels. Daily rhIL-1a administration after burn injury prevented hypoalbuminemia, and increased serum levels of Gc-globulin and a₁-antitrypsin. IL-1 therapy might be helpful to maintain the homeostasis and immunity of the host after thermal injury.

Keywords —— thermal injury; acute phase proteins

© 2002 Tohoku University Medical Press

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Tohoku J. Exp. Med., 2002, 198, 23-29

Address for reprints: Kaoru Koike, M.D., Ph.D., Department of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8574, Japan.

e-mail: kkoike@gonryo.med.tohoku.ac.jp