1. Academic Validation
  2. Leukemia inhibitory factor is an anti-inflammatory and analgesic cytokine

Leukemia inhibitory factor is an anti-inflammatory and analgesic cytokine

  • J Neurosci. 1998 Jul 15;18(14):5456-62. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.18-14-05456.1998.
L R Banner 1 P H Patterson A Allchorne S Poole C J Woolf
Affiliations

Affiliation

  • 1 Division of Biology, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, USA.
Abstract

The mRNA for Leukemia Inhibitory Factor (LIF), a neuroimmune signaling molecule, is elevated during skin inflammation produced by intraplantar injection of complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA). Moreover, although LIF knock-out mice display normal sensitivity to cutaneous mechanical and thermal stimulation compared with wild-type mice, the degree of CFA-induced inflammation in mice lacking LIF is enhanced in spatial extent, amplitude, cellular infiltrate, and interleukin (IL)-1beta and nerve growth factor (NGF) expression. Conversely, local injection of low doses of recombinant LIF diminishes mechanical and thermal hypersensitivity as well as the IL-1beta and NGF expression induced by CFA. These data show that upregulation of LIF during peripheral inflammation serves a key, early anti-inflammatory role and that exogenous LIF can reduce inflammatory hyperalgesia.

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