p-Cresol inhibits IL-12 production by murine macrophages stimulated with bacterial immunostimulant.

Abstract

p-Cresol, an end product of aromatic amino acids, is produced from food proteins by intestinal bacteria, and is detectable in blood and feces. Especially, blood and fecal levels of p-cresol are high in chronic renal failure (CRF) patients. Although it has been suggested that p-cresol is toxic in the body, the effect of p-cresol on immune responses has not yet been clarified. In this study, we investigated the effect of p-cresol on IL-12 production of macrophages stimulated with Lactobacillus casei strain Shirota (LcS) in vitro. Pre-incubation with p-cresol inhibited IL-12 p40 production of LcS-stimulated J774.1 cells, a murine macrophage-like cell line, in a dose-dependent manner. IL-12 p40 and p70 production of LcS-stimulated murine peritoneal macrophages was also inhibited by p-cresol. The inhibitory effect was not dependent on the cytotoxicity of p-cresol. These results indicate that blood and fecal p-cresol may have adverse effects on the host defense system in CRF patients.

• Authors: Koji Kawakami, Ikuyo Makino, Ikuo Kato, Kazumi Uchida, Masaharu Onoue
• Journal: Immunopharmacology and immunotoxicology (Immunopharmacol Immunotoxicol) Vol. 31 Issue 2 Pg. 304-9 (Jun 2009) ISSN: 1532-2513 [Electronic] England
• PMID: 19235606 (Publication Type: Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Cresols
• Interleukin-12
• 4-cresol

Topics

• Animals
• Cells, Cultured
• Cresols (metabolism, toxicity)
• Immunization
• Interleukin-12 (antagonists & inhibitors, biosynthesis)
• Kidney Failure, Chronic (immunology)
• Lacticaseibacillus casei (immunology)
• Macrophages (drug effects, immunology)
• Male
• Mice
• Mice, Inbred BALB C