Angiotensin II stimulates production of interleukin-8 and Duffy antigen/receptor for chemokine from endothelial cells

AIM: To explore the roles of interleukin-8 (IL-8) and Duffy antigen/receptor for chemokine (DARC) in AngII-induced inflammation in endothelial cells. METHODS: Endothelial cells from human umbilical vein (HUVEC) were cultured and stimulated with Ang II (10-7 mol/L) for 0-24 h with phosphate-buffered saline (PBS）as the control. The supernatant and cell lyses of endothelial cells were collected at 0, 6, 12 and 24 h. IL-8 levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). DARC mRNA expression in endothelial cells was measured by real-time polymerase chain reaction (real-time PCR). RESULTS: AngII（10-7mol/L）stimulated IL-8 production in a time-dependent manner. IL-8 level in the supernatant increased gradually during 0-6 h and decreased at 24 h. IL-8 level in cell lyses also increased during 6-24 h in a time-dependent manner, but the changes were not parallel with those in the supernatant. Ang II also stimulated DARC mRNA expression during 6-24 h in a time-dependent manner. CONCLUSION: AngII stimulates IL-8 release and DARC expression from HUVECs. IL-8 and DARC may be involved in the process of AngII-induced inflammation, suggesting that DARC binds IL-8 to form chemokine concentration gradient in inflammation.