Inhibitory Effect of IL-13 on IL-12 Production in Mesangial Cells

To investigate the effect of interleukin-13 (IL-13) on interleukin-12 (IL-12) production in mesangial cells,mesangial cells were cultivated with LPS (10 μg/ml) or/and various concentration of IL-13 and the protein synthesis of IL-12 in mesangial cells was measured by ELISA. The expression of IL-12 mRNA in mesangial cells was evaluated by RT-PCR. The results showed that both mRNA and protein of IL-12 were not produced in mesangial cells when treated by 5% NCS RPMI 1640. However,the production of IL-12 in mesangial cells stimulated with LPS was significantly increased. IL-13 (1～10 ng/ml) inhibited the protein and mRNA expression of IL-12 in a dose-dependent manner. It concludes that IL-13 inhibits IL-12 expression induced by LPS in mesangial cells. IL-13 may regulate renal injury and immune responses by balancing Th1/Th2 in glomerulonephritis.